Opposite Elements
by zoe-and-luna
Summary: Zuko and Katara are now on the run, separated from the the rest of the Gaang and trying to outrun the Fire Nation. Zutara! Chapter 9 update!
1. Chapter 1

**Opposite Elements**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: I suck at titles. This is my first fanfiction EVER. That is all I have to say bitches.

--

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because I said so!"

"And since when did I start taking orders from you?"

"Since…since…ugh! You're ruining the surprise!"

Toph listened with disgust to Sokka and Suki's conversation. She sat on a stone border that surrounded a fountains edge, the main water source of the Western Air Temple. Her feet were submerged in the fountains cool water, where Katara silently worked water through her burn victim's rough skin.

Toph flicked a small rock directly at Sokka's forehead. "Just show her already!"

"Fine!" Sokka cried in defeat, and revealed a bundle of red clothes he had hidden behind his back. "I thought you would want some new clothes, since the rags from the prison aren't exactly…"

"-Flattering?" Toph interjected.

Sokka's face reddened. "NO! No, that's not what I meant. I just meant that the prison wasn't exactly clean and kinda smelled-"

"-Are you saying I smell?" Suki then asked, threateningly closing the space between them, "and that I'm dirty because of what I'm wearing?"

"NO! You smell amazing! And you are very clean! And beautiful! You could wear anything and still be beautiful! You could even wear nothing and still be beautiful!"

Silence followed Sokka's last comment as he turned an even darker shade of crimson.

In an attempt to change the subject, Suki graciously took the new clothes from his hands.

"Uhh, thanks Sokka."

Suki raised the top piece into view and let out a breath of air. "The top is a little…it's just little. Yeah. Maybe you meant to give these to Toph?"

"Heyyy!" Both Sokka and Toph cried in unison.

Sokka reached for the top she was viewing and held it in front of him. "I worked hard to steal these! And I specifically chose these hues so they would match your eyes."

"Sokka, my eyes are green. 'Fire Nation Red' doesn't exactly match-"

"--will you two shut up already!?" Toph swung her legs out of the water and stomped both feet on the ground, sending vibrations through the stone. The pain from the burns sent a jolt up her leg and the earthbender couldn't help but wince.

"Toph!" Katara cried, "I told you not to stand yet! You're not completely healed!"

"I'll stand if I want to, and I'll walk away if it's to get away from these two freaks." Toph turned on her heal, but her direction was quickly distracted by being swiftly picked up by two strong hands. She was then tossed onto that person's shoulders, and the earthbender did her best to wiggle free. "Let me down Zuko, I mean it! I can walk without your help!"

Katara stared at the firebender for a long moment before finally snapping back to her senses. She hadn't heard Zuko come outside, let alone _seen _him come to Toph's aid until he was already tossing the girl onto his back. His movements were almost ghost-like, and she wondered how much training he had to go through to gain such an ability. Standing up from her crouched position, Katara was able to fully view a flustered Toph on Zuko's shoulders. Now that she had grasped the situation, the waterbender found it almost comical.

Small rocks began to pelt Zuko's head. "Ow. Ow! OW!! Geeze, stop will you!?" Zuko stopped walking and gently held Toph's ankles in place. "I know you can walk without my help. I just need you to be in top condition when you give me my payback."

Toph cracked her knuckles thoughtfully as Zuko began to move again. He ducked inside the shelter of the temple and passed Aang doing a set of hotsquats.

"Keep it up twinkle-toes!" Toph called out as they continued down the hallway. The earthbender lifted her arms and dragged her hands along the cool stone surface of the ceiling. Though she could feel Zuko's feet vibrate through his shoulders, her vision was still fuzzy because she wasn't making the direct contact with the ground. This way, her hands worked the way her feet did, and she could feel all movement happening in the temple.

"I'm still really sorry…about your feet." Zuko muttered when he stopped outside of Toph's room. He gently kicked open the door and lifted her off his shoulders and onto the sleeping mat on the floor.

Toph lowered her arms and crossed them over her chest. "I know you are, which is why you're still here."

Zuko took a step back and leaned against the door frame. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Toph began, "If you weren't really sorry, then you would be the old Zuko that Katara won't shut up about. Then, you would be the bad guy, and probably would have done something incredibly stupid like reveal our location to the Fire Nation or try to kidnap Aang or something, and then Katara would have water-blasted your butt outta here. So as you can see, Katara has yet to water-blast your butt, so you're still here."

Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, "And how do you know that I'm not planning to kidnap Aang, or that I haven't already revealed our location to the Fire Nation?"

"Because Katara would water-blast your butt, and you're scared of her. For whatever reason, her opinion of you matters most, and you wouldn't risk jeopardizing that." Toph let out an exaggerated yawn and glanced out her window towards a setting sun she couldn't see. "Welp, I'm tired, so go away." And with that, Toph plopped over in the opposite direction and began to snore.

Smiling, Zuko stepped back into the hallway and shut the door behind him. He walked back to the main sitting room where Aang had been doing hotsquats earlier, but found it to be empty.

"Aang?" Zuko called, and heard a faint "Out here!" coming from outside. The firebender lightly jogged to the direction of his voice, and saw that Hakoda, Haru, The Duke and Teo had finally arrived. They had left a few days earlier to restock on supplies (or to be more politically correct, _steal_ them) and from the amount of bags and crates strewn about the balcony, it seems they did very well.

"Zuko!" Aang called. "Guess what? The guys just came back from across the canyon, and they built a training area for us!"

"I thought you guys were supposed to be getting meat?" Zuko asked as he eyed them, and the supplies, skeptically.

"We were, and we did," Haru began as he stepped forward, "But we came across this small gorge and thought it would be the perfect place to train. You can't see it from the air, and you're far enough from everyone else that we won't get in the way." Haru laughed and absent-mindedly reached for his non-existent beard. A recent practice session with Aang had singed off half his facial hair, and he was forced to shave off the rest.

Hakoda, now dressed in common Fire Nation clothes, pointed towards the sun. "I was hoping I could show you all before the sun set, so you could take off first thing in the morning and get back to training."

"That would be great Hakoda!" Aang exclaimed, and took off to the stables to get Appa.

"You three," Hakoda pointed to his most recent comrades, "-should probably stay. I don't think Appa would like another full load."

"Awww man!" The Duke complained as he slumped to the ground.

Haru knelt down and patted him on the shoulder. "It's OK The Duke, we can try out those cool…things, that we found in the temple last week."

"YES!" The Duke cried, and scrambled inside the main temple entrance and out of everyone's site.

Aang finally appeared with Appa and the group began to load on. Before Zuko climbed aboard, he pulled Teo aside. He wasn't sure how to bring up his concern, but he found Teo to be pretty understanding when it came to his own lack of tact around everyone. He wasn't great at being social, or at putting his thoughts into words, and Teo seemed to be the most forgiving about it.

"Hey," Zuko whispered, "You think you could keep an eye on Toph for me? She's asleep, and I just don't want anything to happen to her. I mean, I know nothing will happen to her, but, you know, I don't want her to be left alone. "

Teo laughed and patted Zuko on his shoe, since he couldn't reach for his shoulder. "No problem man, don't worry." And without another word, he wheeled away into the living quarters of the temple.

"C'mon, let's go!" Zuko heard Katara call irritably. Everyone had already loaded into Appa's saddle, and was now waiting for him. After heaving a small sigh, Zuko whisked himself up into the bison's saddle. Suki, Sokka, Hakoda, Aang, Katara and himself were then launched into the sky, the bison soaring up towards the orange sun. Hakoda pointed directions for Aang to follow, and explained how they found the area on foot when The Duke's helmet flew off three days earlier. After an hour of backtracking, they were able to retrieve the helmet and came across the dried-up gorge that looked almost non-existent by air. It was then, and a second look at Haru's hairless face, that they decided to build the training area.

"You know dad, we've been without soap for over three days." Sokka lifted an arm and sniffed at his armpit. Suki was forced to clamp her hand over her face as his odor blew directly at her. "As you can see," Sokka stuck a thumb in Suki's direction, "…we've really needed it."

"Just because you can't manage your personal hygiene without soap doesn't mean you can blame it on other people," Katara butted it. "Besides, I think it's great that they took the time to build this for us."

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed as Appa finally touched down. "You're the one who can bend water. You can even bend your own _sweat_, so don't _even_ get me started on personal hygiene."

"Ok guys, let's settle down." Hakoda said as he slid off the saddle. The rest of the group followed him, and they were led to an open area partially hidden by bare cliffsides. What appeared to be at least a hundred wooden Fire Nation soldier dummies were either arranged in small circles or lined up beside the wall. A giant rectangle had also been carved into the earth for a sparring arena.

Katara jumped into the center of one of the dummy circles and did a small jump with excitement. "Oh dad, this is great, thank you so much!"

Aang hopped in next to her and created a small ball of wind in his hand. "You wanna try it out Katara?" The airbender eyed the Fire Nation dummies mischievously and the pair went back to back. Katara let the water out of her skins and raised her arms, the water flowing with each movement she made. "Oh yes," she said, "I'm ready when you are."

"Wait a second Katara," Hakoda stepped in, making Aangs ball disappear, and Katara's water falter slightly. "Maybe you should partner with Zuko? I know you work well with Aang, and Aang has been practicing with Zuko ever since he arrived, but I don't remember you mentioning of ever training with him."

Katara's face reddened as she glanced at Zuko, who was just as equally red. "Well," she said, "that's because I haven't." Katara mentally searched for any excuse to throw out, but came up empty.

"That settles it then!" Hakoda called as he nudged Zuko into the training circle. Aang mumbled incoherently as he dragged himself out and plopped himself into the dirt next to Hakoda.

Katara began to panic as Zuko took his stance behind her. "B-But wait. I've never trained with Zuko before; I don't know how he moves. What if something goes wrong?"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "You know _very _well how he moves, we've fought him a gazillion times before! Just this time, he's on our side. Now stop complainin' and start a-trainin'!"

"Katara…" Zuko spoke lowly, so only she could hear. "Fire and water are opposite elements, just like earth and air. They have different temperaments, but like Yin and Yang, both are needed to control each other."  
Katara gritted her teeth as images of Princess Yue and the North Pole flooded her memories. In her mind, the six dummies that surrounded her suddenly took form of actual Fire Nation soldiers, all of them bearing Zuko's scar. She could feel herself getting angry, and the water she held rippled with the effect. Suddenly, she turned her head sharply and spoke directly into Zuko's ear. "Don't lecture _me_ about Yin and Yang."

"-Ready?" Hakoda shouted, not really asking, but calling it as a preparation measure.

"You have to trust me Katara," Zuko rushed before Hakoda gave the final word.

"- GO!"

…and time froze.


	2. Chapter 2

**Opposite Elements**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: Shorter than the first chapter, fuck. But I swear the next one will be a doozy : )

--

"Woooow."

Katara could feel the air around her prickling with electricity, and she couldn't tell if Zuko bent lightning, or if it was all in her head.

"That was amazing!" She heard Aang exclaim as he trotted over to look at the damage.

Katara glanced down at her feet and saw the remnants of the wooden dummies that had stood before her only moments before. _What happened? _She thought, and glanced in Zuko's direction. His eyes seemed lost, and he held a bewildered expression that only confused her more.

Not only had the dummies been completely destroyed in her training circle, but in the surrounding ones as well. They all laid in pieces in the dirt, completely sliced and burnt by their elements.

Sokka walked towards them and picked up a wooden splinter. "You sure you haven't been practicing with him behind our backs Katara? Because you two…" he pointed at them with his index and middle finger, "-whew. That was intense."

Katara noticed a strange expression pass over Aang's face, but it disappeared with a grin just as fast as it arrived. "Yeah, how did you guys do that move? That fire-swirly-explosion thing? It was kind of like the water-whip, only…not."

Zuko and Katara both stared at Aang with a blank expression on his face. "The fire-swirly-_what?_" They asked in unison.

"Yeah! Zuko, you made a fire whip, but it intertwined with Katara's water whip, and then…wait, don't you remember?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow in Katara's direction, and she took it as her queue.

"Of course we do Aang, we'll show you sometime." She hoped that Aang wouldn't notice the uncertainty in her voice.

" So you two _have_ been practicing!" Suki exclaimed behind Aang, but eyed Katara suspiciously.

Before Katara could reply, Hakoda stepped forward, to her relief, and pointed at the sky. "Alright kids. We should start heading back before the sun completely sets."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Are you serious Dad? It's not a big deal, we've been in the dark plenty of times and we've always been fine. Well, except that night we met Hama, and Jeong Jeong, lots of explosions then, and the Fire Nation usually attacks us at night, and Zuko too, no offense man…"

"None taken."

"…and that one time when the gian-OUCH!" Sokka keeled forward and clutched his stomach just as Suki removed her elbow from that exact location. She smiled and patted her suffering partner on the back. "Well I guess that gives us as good a reason as ever to leave, right?"

Everyone laughed in agreement, Katara's and Zuko's sounding particularly forced, and walked in Appa's direction. Zuko watched as Aang continued to pester Katara with more questions on their performance. Her answers were short and clipped, and Zuko's own personal questions began to slowly answer themselves.

_She_ doesn't remember what happened.

_She _has no idea what she did.

…and neither do I.

Zuko was silent on the flight back and was quick to avoid most conversation that anyone tried to start with him. He complained of having a headache and a sore stomach, easily avoiding the typical twilight social gathering called 'dinner', and quickly escaping to his room. Katara noticed this but said nothing. She wasn't particularly feeling well either, and her mind swam with unanswered questions. It was also the blunt uncertainty that she wasn't even sure on what questions she should ask, and that reality scared her. Luckily, Aang, Sokka and Hakoda were in high spirits about the 'success' of Zuko and Katara's test, and Katara was able to eat in silence as they retold again and again the events that occurred.

Toph had woken up from her nap, and was sitting next to Teo, sharing a plate of barbequed meat coated in fireflakes. The rest of the group circled around the fire, minus Zuko, scarfing down their food preference on wooden plates.

"Toph, Teo…" Aang began as he eyed their meal, "…that's really disgusting."

"Really?" Toph asked as she tore off a chunk of meat and let it dangle out of her mouth, fireflakes falling all over her lap. "Just because you're stuck with your monkish ways and won't eat meat doesn't mean we all have to suffer for it."

"It's not only that I won't eat meat, it's just that we won't kill a living soul, anything from a person to a dragon nat." Aang cringed as he took a bite out of his lettuce wrap. "…and hippo cow is most definitely included on that list."

Toph chewed thoughtfully for a moment, and then scrunched her eyebrows together. "What are you talking about Twinkle-Toes? Of course you've killed people!"

Aang dropped his lettuce wrap onto a wooden plate and cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Toph stuck a thumb at Teo who suddenly looked very nervous. The atmosphere of the group darkened, and just about everyone wanted to call it a night. "We've fought hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers. You've blown up tanks at the Northern Air Temple, you've sunk entire ships at the North Pole, you faced an entire Fire Nation army on the day of the Eclipse, and you're trying to tell me that no one has died?"

The group seemed to be holding their breath. The fire even stilled as Aang thought of a response.

"You weren't there at the Northern Air Temple, or the North Pole! How would you know?" Aang suddenly grew angry and tried very hard to control his temper.

"C'mon Aang, be serious," Toph began, "First of all, Teo and Zuko told me. Second, people don't just magically heal or survive things like that. The Fire Nation doesn't have waterbenders working incognito to heal their injured. This is a _war_, and whether we like it or not, people die. " Toph brushed fireflake powder on her shorts, then crossed her arms over her chest.

Aang glanced from Toph to Katara, pleading with his eyes for some sort of reassurance.

The waterbender let out a heavy sigh and dragged herself next to him. She draped her arms heavily around his shoulders and rubbed his back, trying to calm his sudden trembling. "It's ok, don't worry about it Aang…"

An uncomfortable silence overtook the night, and each group member silently filtered their way out and into bed. Aang soon joined them, leaving Katara to a dying fire, and her own racing thoughts. It wasn't long until only bright cinders remained, and the waterbender jumped when she heard Suki's voice interrupt the soothing sounds of the Western Air Temple's night life.

"You seem very distracted tonight," She said slowly. Katara could hardly see her shadow across the way, her form sitting exactly where she had been all night.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were still here," was all Katara could muster as she lifted herself to her feet. She began to bend water out of the fountain to decimate the cinders, but Suki stopped her.

"Wait a second Katara; I need to talk to you,"

Katara's arms dropped and she plopped back down onto the stone.

"Well?" she asked.

Suki's glare caught Katara off guard, and the water bender couldn't help but avoid her piercing green eyes.

"I know you don't remember what happened," Suki began, watching intently for any shift in expression.

Katara opened her mouth to comment, but Suki interrupted her. "I know you don't remember, and I know Zuko doesn't either. What you two did out there…I've never seen anything like it before. You did moves that I've never seen, moves that bending Masters would _kill_ to learn, let alone actually achieve. I don't think anyone else realizes how crucial this really is…"

"Why is it such a big deal?" Katara demanded, rising to her feet. "Who cares if we obliterated a bunch of wooden dummies? If it were Aang and I, we would have done the same thing."

"No, you wouldn't have." Suki rose to her feet as well and took a step forward to the edge of the glowing cinders. "I've seen the way you and Aang fight. You two replicate each other's moves. There is fluidity, but it lacks intensity." Suki took a breath before continuing. "When it was you and Zuko, you did things that only fire and water could do. It was almost as if you guys were controlling both elements, not just one. You need to talk to Zuko-"

"-No." Katara interrupted. "I have absolutely nothing to say to him."

"That's not fair and you know it. He has done nothing but try and help you guys since he arrived. He helped Sokka get me and your father out of prison. Why won't you just accept the fact that Zuko is _good_?"

The cinders seemed to glow hotter as Katara balled her hands into fists. "Suki, are you crazy? This is all part of his plan, can't you see? He has all of you turned over to his side, and when the Comet comes, he's going to-"

"Give it up Katara!" Suki interrupted. She backed away from the dying fire and retrieved a full bucket of water from the fountain. "Sometimes I can't help but admire you, but it's really a shame that someone so naïve was able to inherit such incredible bending power." Without glancing at the fire, Suki dumped the entire bucket on it, letting the smoke rise in front of them. A slight look of disgust settled across the warrior's features as she glared at Katara.

"Grow up."

Suki walked away silently, leaving the bucket next to the dead fire. Katara was too shocked to speak, too stunned to think. She could only stare at a stray cinder that had landed near her foot. The fierce glow it emanated dimmed with the passing moments as the waterbender gathered her thoughts.

_Maybe Suki's right. I just have to trust him. But how can I? I don't want to trust him. He has done nothing but hurt me since the beginning! But what _did _happen today? I could feel him, I knew he was there, but…everything moved so fast that by the time I knew what was going on…it was over._

Katara sat crouched in the darkness, her chin resting on her arms, as the crescent moon raised high above the temple.


	3. Chapter 3

**Opposite Elements**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: I told you it would be longer! I took the reviews into consideration and took a differen't approach on this chapter to try and explain some things. I don't want to give it all away in one sweep though, so naturally, there are lot's of questions that didn't get answered. Oh, I wanted to mention that I may let some spoilers slip, so you should be wary of those.

--

Zuko stared up at his ceiling, his arms behind his head, wide awake. The ceiling had miraculously sprung a leak during the few hours he was gone that day, and now water dripped and splattered onto the stone floor next to his bed. He couldn't get used to the sound, and each drip infiltrated his thoughts, echoing through each crevice of his mind.

'_I'm going insane.' _Zuko decided as he rolled over in his bed, covering his face with a pillow.

He had been laying there for hours, trying to remember the events that had taken place earlier. He first started from when he woke up, and walked through all of his steps from rolling out of bed, to walking into the training circle with Katara. He imagined his day on a timeline, and felt as if someone had cut out his training session, and sewed the two ends together as if it never existed. _'How could that be? How can I remember every single miniscule detail of today, except for that one moment? What did I do to cause memory loss? I felt completely in control, right before it and right after. Was she in control too? How was Katara feeling right at that moment, before we fought?'_

"_Hey." _

Zuko blinked and removed the pillow from his head. _'Did I just hear that?' _He thought as he glanced around his room. It was like a whisper, only quieter, and rushed like a small puff of sudden wind. The small bedroom was completely dark, minus the slight touch of moonlight filtering through his open window. If someone would have entered, he would have most definitely heard it. Normally he would have passed it as his conscious playing tricks on him, but a strange shift in the shadows across the floor made him jump out of bed and draw his double-swords. "Who's there?"

There was a slight pause when the shadow shifted again, "Geeze crazy! Will you calm down!?"

Zuko blinked once and faced his window, lowering his swords to his sides. He could see the outline of a familiar figure, standing…no, _floating_ outside his window.

"Uh, Katara? What are you doing?" Zuko asked as he sheathed his swords.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" The waterbender snapped as she climbed onto the stone ledge of the window. Zuko moved out of her shadow and glanced over the window's ledge. Instead of the sheer cliff drop that he was used to seeing, there was a giant fluffy bison floating just below them.

"Well…" Zuko began as he took a step back from the window to face her. "It looks like you're coming into my room. You could have just knocked you know…"

The dark shadows across Katara's face formed into a scowl, and Zuko couldn't help but internally wince. He realized in that moment that this was the most they had ever said to each other since they have been on mutual terms.

"I am _not_ trying to enter your room. We're leaving, so get your pointy shoes on and let's go." Katara leaped off the ledge without another word and landed silently on Appa's saddle.

Zuko leaned out the window again and watched the waterbender reach for the bison's reigns. A slight breeze picked up and managed to brush some of his hair out of his eyes, clearing his vision and slightly distracting him. Zuko saw Katara's hair blow lazily in the same waves that his did, and realized that her hair was a lot longer than he remembered. He hadn't noticed before that she no longer confined it in tight braids, but let it fall loosely over her shoulders. It was another moment, and another thought about Katara's hair, before they both realized that they were staring at eachother. Katara's expression was the first to change from a blank stare back into a scowl. "Hurry up!"

"Oh!" Zuko pushed himself away from the ledge and scrambled to find his shoes. After correcting his error of putting them on the wrong feet, _twice_, he was finally ready to go, and nimbly hopped out the window. Katara, impatient as ever, hardly waited for Zuko to land before she whispered, "Yip yip!" and pulled the reigns in the direction she wanted to go. The firebender stumbled backwards slightly but managed to regain his balance.

"So where exactly are we going?" Zuko called through the wind when they were far enough from the temple that no one could hear.

"Back to the training area," Katara replied. Her shoulders were tensed and her answer was clipped, another bad sign that Zuko didn't like.

"Why?" he asked. He already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it come out of Katara's mouth for reassurance

The waterbender turned her head around and glared at him. She couldn't see him that well in the dark, but she hoped he could see her expression.

"Don't pretend like you don't know what's going on," she spat as Appa lowered in the sky. It was a few moments later when the giant bison touched down, and Katara quickly slid off without glancing back to see if Zuko was following.

"Wait!" Zuko called as he jumped off the saddle, "Wait! That's the thing!" He jogged up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. The sudden touch was electrifying and he could feel her shoulder tense. Without another second of hesitation, he pulled his hand away.

"I _don't_ know what's going on." Zuko began, talking to Katara's back as if she was actually facing him. "All I know is that we did something amazing, something that everyone won't shut up about, and you know what? I can't remember a single moment of it! I have been trying so hard to remember, and at first, I thought the memory loss was caused by my lack of control."

Katara finally turned around to face him, and Zuko was prepared for whatever expression she would hold. But, for once, her face was blank, yet her eyes were full of heavy emotion, as if she was drinking in every word he said, as if he knew something that she didn't.

"I know it wasn't my lack of control," Zuko continued, "Because I was completely calm. I knew you were upset with what I said, but…I was sincere. I wanted you to trust me, I wanted everything to turn out well, but never in a million years would I expect this…" The firebender motioned to the surrounding area with his hands, and both benders couldn't help but eye the damage and wince internally.

Katara was still silent, so Zuko found the training circle they were in earlier and took his fighting stance. "I was right here, standing just like this, when I lost my memory."

Katara sighed heavily and followed him. She stepped delicately into the circle, careful to avoid the wooden splinters that still littered the ground. Without glancing at Zuko, she turned her back on him and took a fighting stance of her own. "And I was right here."

They stood there silently, eyes closed, and breathing slowly. Both benders searched their minds and analyzed those short moments before the destruction began. A slight quiver in the air forced Zuko out of his thoughts, and he recognized the same disturbance right before their training session earlier.

"You're still angry with me," Zuko muttered as he fell out of his stance. He turned to face her back, his shoulders slightly slumped.

Katara stomped her foot and straightened up from her battle position. She crossed her arms over her chest and spun around to face her partner. She was silent for a moment as she assessed the person standing before her. "You spoke of Yin and Yang right before we began," Katara started, a slight edge to her voice. "And I started thinking about the North Pole, and Princess Yue."

Zuko began to speak, but Katara interrupted him. "If _you_ hadn't taken Aang, then we could have been there to stop Zhao! Yue could have lived! Do you even understand what that did to my brother?" The girls' hands clenched into fists, a common action she managed to repeat around Zuko.

Zuko was shocked into silence, finally understanding what Sokka was speaking of on their way to the Boiling Rock. Katara took this silence as an opportunity to continue. The edge in her voice was gone, replaced with sadness.

"Chief Arnook gave Sokka the mission to guard Princess Yue. When he failed…I don't think he ever forgave himself. I know he has Suki now, but it took him a really long time…"

Suddenly the waterbender couldn't speak anymore, and she let her arms drop to her sides. A slight breeze picked up then, and both benders stared at each other for a few moments, watching the invisible force tug and rustle at their unruly hair.

"I had no idea," Zuko said softly, moving his gaze from Katara's hair to her eyes.

"I know."

The breeze strengthened, and Zuko broke his eye contact and glanced in the direction of the wind, following it to the crescent moon sinking in the sky. It was still dark out, but he knew the sun would be rising soon.

"We need to figure out what happened, before everyone else wakes up."

Katara nodded, "I know." She said again.

Both fighters turned their backs on each other and took their stances. They closed their eyes once again, and the wind helped clear their thoughts.

A sudden gust caught Zuko off guard, and he was forced to sidestep with his left foot. This single step jolted something in his memory, and his eyes instantly snapped open.

"Katara…" He spoke over the increasing wind. It seemed to be encircling around them, moving counter-clockwise, and trying to push them with it.

"What?" She asked, trying hard to concentrate, and not appreciating Zuko's interruption.

Zuko moved his foot back, closed his eyes, and stepped to the same spot again. He could feel his muscles relaxing for what he would do next, and was prepared when his right foot dragged slightly on the ground, and lifted into a back kick, fire erupting out of it. His arms moved as well, his left arm swinging with his body for speed, and his right hand attacking in the same direction as his foot with a fire-punch.

Katara could feel his movements through the air, despite the fact that the wind was trying to push them over. She ducked low, nearly avoiding Zuko's kick, and pushed herself away with her right foot. She pulled water out of her skins, almost to her surprise, and…lost her balance. The water around her arms splashed to the ground and Katara slid to stop just inches before the edge of the training ring.

Zuko stopped his attacks and jogged over to where Katara slid. She had already gotten up and gathered the water out of the ground and back into her skins. Her expression held a defeated look, and Zuko wasn't sure of what to say.

"We almost had it," Katara spoke, to Zuko's relief. "It was like my body was moving for me. I could feel you too, and I knew what you were going to do next." Katara ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "The only thing I'm sure of is that we moved counter-clockwise. I remember your first step, and we rotated…"

Zuko let her words sink in, and he was suddenly reminded of the spiritual place back in the North Pole. He remembered how warm it was, and the giant waterfall that made water flow around the island of grass.

"There was a small pool of water in that place…" Zuko muttered to himself, trying to think as to why this memory was so important.

"The Spirit Oasis?" Katara asked, suddenly interested in what he was saying.

"Yes! Wait, how did you know?"

Katara turned slightly pink, but luckily it was too dark to give it away. "I was thinking about the same place, somehow. There was something about moving in that direction…"

"Weren't there koi in the pond? Weren't they-"

"-That's it!" Katara shrieked, grabbing Zuko's arm and dragging him back into position.

She was so excited that everything she said came out in a rush. "We move counter-clockwise because Yin and Yang moved counter-clockwise. Yes! It was the black and white koi in the pond. We _are _Yin and Yang." The waterbenders' breathing slowed as she finally took her fighting stance for the fourth time that day. Zuko laughed to himself and took his position again as well.

"So you kick up, and I duck and slide left, and water bend in a circle around us, then I…" Katara's mind seemed to go blank for a second, trying to force that memory out into the open.

"Let's act it out," Zuko suggested, and Katara nodded in agreement.

They started from the beginning, following their previous movements, and stopped when Katara's memory went blank.

"This is the part I can't remember, why can't I remember it?" Katara muttered to herself, clearly frustrated.

"Don't move," Zuko instructed as he stepped out of position and walked over to her. She did as she was told, but when Zuko wrapped his hands around her wrists, she wished she hadn't. The waterbender jumped slightly by his touch, and goosebumps formed up and down her arms.

"Sorry," Zuko muttered, feeling the chills rising up her arms. The fire prince tried to ignore them as he brought her arms down to her waist, so that each hand was on either side of her.

"Now," Zuko began, "Put your hands into fists. It was almost like you were pulling something out of the air, and dragging it towards you."

Zuko was crouching right behind her, and had finally let go of her wrists. Instead of removing his hands, his palms were now resting lightly below her lower arms.

"Water," Katara breathed, "I was pulling more water out of the air, and freezing it as it came down…"

Katara was not unaware of the lack of space between Zuko and her. She hadn't been this close to him since the Crystal Catacombs, and she could feel the heat rising in her face.

'_Good thing he can't see me'_ she thought as she followed Zuko's instructions. Pieces of her memory were being filled in as he walked her through the steps, guiding her arms into the correct positions that she was trying so hard to remember, and stepping with her as she moved her body into the next movement. It was another moment before she realized that his touch was gone, and that he was no longer helping her.

Katara was now moving fluidly on her own, and Zuko moved back into his position to move with her. Katara could imagine the water encircling in the air, creating the forms she wanted with her arms, while Zuko imagined his fire element.

They followed the circle, moving with each other like a dance, feeling the air for their partners' next move. The elements they were once imagining were now real, for Katara released the water out of her skins, and Zuko now used all of his strength as fire erupted out of his hands and feet at full force. They continued their movements over and over, repeating the session multiple times and memorizing each step.

Katara pulled more water out of the air, just as Zuko had shown her and brought it waist-level, freezing it on the way down. She then let the ice encircle them and sharpened the edges, like it was a solid blade. Zuko did the same with his fire, and together the two elements spun around them at lightning speed. The firebender remembered the next move, and was quick to let his fire dissapate. He jumped as high as he could when Katara's ice blade condensed into a solid mass in the center of the circle. Without another moment's hesitation, the ball of ice exploded into a thousand tiny shards and went flying in all directions, melting into water as they moved. Zuko landed right where the ice had been moments before, his back knocking into Katara's, and shot fire in the direction of a single shard.

Zuko stood frozen in his spot, fear stretching through every inch of his body. Katara noticed the change in the air and turned around. She could see the fire Zuko shot out, but was quick to learn that it wasn't fire at all.

"Zuko, is that…lightning?"

They both stared in horror as the lightning hit the first shard, now completely melted into a water droplet. It bounced off it, and jumped to the closet droplet, repeating the process over and over and creating lines of electricity between each piece. Soon they were surrounded by a giant net of lightning, casting off a purplish-blue glow.

"Gather it Katara!" Zuko called as the net stretched farther and farther away from them.

Without faltering, Katara did as she was told, and gathered the water and lightning with a single sweep. It sped quickly back towards them, the net sparking and crackling with light as it moved.

"Zuko, help me!" Katara called in an annoyed tone, struggling slightly to control both elements at once.

The firebender had no idea what to do, but raised his arms to see if he could control the lightning. The familiar tug of the element confirmed this, and he stepped away from Katara as they both tried to raise the net over their heads. Katara forced all the droplets together, created a giant mass that floated above them. The electricity still sparked inside it, trying to escape in all directions.

"Ok, you're going to force the water down, and drop it on three," Zuko yelled, his arms shaking as he tried to keep control.

"WHAT!? Are you insane!?" Katara replied, backing up farther away from him, her arms still controlling the water. "Have you ever seen lightning hit the ground? Have you ever seen lightning hit people that are _wet_?"

"Just trust me!"

Katara didn't have time to argue, and whether she trusted him or not didn't seem to matter. She planted her feet into the ground and stared at Zuko across the way. The glow from the lightning reflected off the smooth surface of his scar, and his eyes seemed to burn a bright yellow with concentration. Finally, she nodded, and both of their gazes returned to the ball of light above them.

"Ok! On the count of three!" He began, planting his feet firmly on the ground. "One…two…THREE!"

With all of her might, Katara threw the water into the empty space between them. She watched as Zuko used his remaining strength to force the lightning out of the water in the opposite direction before it hit the ground. In a quick moment, Katara saw Zuko's struggle, using all of his remaining strength to force an element that he wasn't familiar with. In a quick flash, the lightning shot out of the water, straight into the purpling sky. The ball then splashed into the ground, creating an explosion of water that even Katara wasn't prepared for.

There was silence.

The wave of water had knocked Katara over, and she was currently soaked, sprawled awkwardly in a puddle of mud. She was completely out of breath, and worked hard to control her breathing.

"Zuko?" She asked in-between gasps as she propped herself up. The waterbender scanned the area and saw him lying in another puddle across the way, unmoving.

"Zuko!" Katara scrambled to her feet and rushed to his side. She fell on her knees and checked his pulse, his breathing, his bones, everything, to make sure he was still alive.

"Ughh…"

Katara leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a breath of relief. "Zuko, you're fine. Now get up before the sky gets any lighter."

"Ughhh…?"

"Ok, seriously!" Katara bent all the water out of their clothes and replaced it back into her skins. She then rose onto her feet and gave the firebender a little kick in the thigh.

"My muscles hurt, and my head hurts, and…I hurt…" Zuko mumbled as he rolled away from her.

"I swear Zuko, we need to get back! You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Katara yelled at the pink sky in frustration.

"You're right," Zuko suddenly said, slightly muffled by his odd position. He rose from his spot with ease and dusted his pants free of dirt. "I_ am_ completely kidding you."

The waterbender let out another frustrated yell and stomped away in the direction of Appa, mumbling something about 'impossible' and 'annoying prince' as she did so. Zuko grinned to himself as he watched Katara attempt to climb the now sleeping bison. She was tired, he could tell, and extremely flustered.

"Here," Zuko called as he jogged up to her, "let me help you." He positioned his knee and placed his open palms over it for her to use as leverage. She ignored him, to no surprise, and grabbed onto Appa's fur instead, causing the bison to growl himself awake.

"Sorry buddy," Katara murmured as she finally latched herself onto the saddle's edge and dragged herself into it. She was so exhausted that she didn't think she would be able to control Appa, but attempted to crawl towards his reigns anyway.

"No wait, let me do it." Zuko suddenly appeared beside her, and the waterbender was completely baffled as to how he got up so fast. He grinned again, an expression Katara wasn't used to seeing, and grabbed the reigns. "I think I have a little more energy than you do," he said.

Katara didn't complain, and instead scooted over and collapsed into the side of the saddle. She watched as Zuko took a step out of the saddle, but Katara suddenly stopped him.

"Wait."

Zuko paused and turned around to look at her, waiting for a response.

"Uh, it's actually more comfortable to control Appa from the saddle. Sometimes with his fur, you get squished in between his neck. But for battles, his neck is more practical."

"Oh," Zuko sat down cross-legged and held the reigns in his hands.

"Aang always sits on his neck though…" Katara yawned loudly and closed her eyes, "…I think it's silly…"

Zuko smiled to himself and whispered a 'Yip yip' to Appa, who took off instantly. The sun was beginning to appear over the horizon, and the breeze smelled of early morning dew, an almost intoxicating smell. The firebender could feel his eyes getting heavy, and it wasn't long before his grip loosened on the reigns.

Appa returned to the Western Air Temple without the usual help or guidance from any of his passengers. The bison flew himself into the easy access of the stables and snuggled up against the stone wall of his personal stall. Normally he would have been annoyed if someone left his saddle on, but this time, he was too exhausted to complain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Opposite Elements**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: Sorry for the lack of updates! It's been a crazy month with the season finale of Avatar, SDCC, the release of Breaking Dawn, etc, but I'm finally back with a new chapter! Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait, and I promise never to do that again, lol.

--

Zuko rolled over awkwardly, attempting to stretch his limbs from the scrunched position he slept in. It was warm, warmer than he remembered ever waking up to, and his clothes stuck to his skin.

"MMmmm..."

Zuko's good eye popped open, realizing the sound he heard didn't come from his own mouth. He slowly rolled back over, and got a face-full of Katara's hair, which had almost doubled in size since the last time he saw it. Just at that moment of shock, Katara's cerulean-blue eyes shot open as well, catching the sight of Zuko's face entangled in her hair.

"AHHhhhh!!" Zuko yelled, just as Katara screamed, and both benders instinctively pushed themselves away from each other. Zuko shot up against the side of the saddle while Katara tumbled over the edge and rolled down Appa's back.

"Katara!" Zuko called as he scrambled to his feet and peeked over the edge. Katara landed ungracefully in a pile of hay, pieces of straw sticking out of her hair, and a look of panic evident on her face.

"What!? You! Where?" The waterbender wobbled to her feet and looked around Appa's stall. Zuko slid down the bison's back just as Katara recollected her thoughts from the night before.

Without another moment's hesitation, the girl stuck a finger at Zuko's chest. "You bent lightning!" she began, a mix of excitement and panic rising in her voice. "And…and we danced! And stole Appa! And what we did…that wasn't what we were supposed to do, that wasn't what we _did_ the first time…"

Zuko placed both hands firmly on Katara's shoulders. His hair stuck out in strange directions, and Katara was oddly fascinated by it.

"Yes, that _wasn't_ what we did the first time," Zuko started, his voice slow and rough. "What we did was extremely dangerous, and is something we can't do again. Those moves, they made me more powerful, they made _you_ more powerful. We can't end it that way ever again, especially if we show the others."

Katara noticed a straw sticking out of her hair at the corner of her eye, and plucked it out. "Those weren't _moves,_ it was a dance."

"That was not a dance!" Zuko lowered his arms and balled his fists in frustration, suddenly confused at himself for the sudden burst of emotion. "The Dragon Dance is a dance, the Phoenix Flight is a dance, even the Camelephant Strut is…sort of a dance, but last night…that was most definitely not a dance."

"How can you stay that?" Katara took a step closer to Zuko, peering into his good eye. "We did everything that people do in dances. We were in time, in perfect harmony with each other, and I could feel you, and you helped me." The waterbender suddenly felt awkward and took a step back, her eyes dropping to the hay that covered her shoes.

Zuko stared at another stray straw that stuck out of Katara's hair, and did everything to keep himself from pulling it out. "I don't know why we're arguing about this. Dances have a certain criteria anyway, and they usually aren't so…violent."

Katara laughed to herself and peaked at the firebender from under her mass of hair. "Now you're looking for any excuse to keep from calling it a dance. There is only one criteria, and that is rhythm." The waterbender lifted her hand and placed in on her chest, right over her heart.

Zuko watched this, and couldn't help but mimic her. Lifting his right hand, he slowly placed it directly over his heart, and listened. It took a moment, but after closing his eyes, he settled into his body and caught the heartbeat. The small _thumps_ made him smile, and after a few moments, the firebender let out a small sigh.

"So…" he said, "What are we gunna call it?"

"Huh?" Katara's eyes slowly opened, and she was now staring at Zuko in confusion.

"The dance," Zuko said patiently, "What do you want to call it?"

The Water Tribe girl blinked, and scrunched her forehead in thought. "Well, we have two," She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "The first is the normal one, the one that everyone saw, and the second is…well, the grand finale." Katara's eyes sparkled at the memory of the lightning net stretching across the gorge. She knew she should feel fearful of the power, but something inside her tugged with excitement, wanting to try it out again.

Zuko was ready to comment, but the sudden _shwish _of a giant boulder cut him off as it flew between the pair, nearly avoiding their heads.

"YOU TWO ARE IN SUCH BIG TROUBLE!"

It was Toph, sitting cross-legged on a smirking Teo's legs, earthbending another boulder in her hand as he rolled her around in his chair.

Zuko and Katara instinctively took a step away from each other at the sign of company, obvious expressions of guilt apparent on their faces.

"You guys have no idea what I've been through today!" Toph yelled as she slammed her boulder into the ground a few feet away. "You two owe me big. I don't know where you went last night, but Aang has been at my neck all afternoon!"

Katara stepped forward, shaking her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Teo spoke this time, patting the fuming Toph on the shoulder.

"You know Aang freaks out every time you disappear without telling him, right? And when he noticed you _and _Zuko were both gone, he sort of flipped out."

"-So," Toph interrupted, "Teo, Suki and I constructed a plan. We told Aang that you took Appa out for a bath, and that you-" Toph pointed to Zuko, "-went after flower petals for a certain tea to cure your 'headache' from last night."

Both Katara and Zuko stood there with their mouths slightly open, trying to process the information Toph threw at them. If Toph _could_ tap her foot, she would be doing so impatiently.

"And _why _are you two still standing there? Get busy!"

Zuko and Katara glanced at each other, mentally noting how unruly the other person looked, then got to work. Zuko helped Katara unhook Appa's saddle, and they both hopped on Appa bareback and flew the tired bison to the river. It was a short flight, since the animal wasn't willing to go too far and repeatedly yawned every minute or so.

Katara led Appa a mile down the river from the Western Air Temple. As soon as they landed, the bison waited for his passengers to hop off, then rolled over on his back in the water and began to snore.

"This is going to be loads of fun," Katara commented as she collected water from the river.

Zuko stood awkwardly a few feet behind her, the water up to his knees. "Need me for anything?"

The waterbender began to work the river water through Appa's fur, and the bison let out a throaty growl in approval.

"Uhm, I think I'm ok. You should probably go looking for some flower petals though…" Katara reminded him, attempting to concentrate on her task. The water of the river reached to her thighs and soaked her pants and tunic. She felt heavy, tired, and wished Zuko would go away so she could wash herself as well.

"Yeah, huh…" Zuko waded out of the river and set out of Katara's view. The waterbender waited a few moments before pulling off her boots, pants and tunic, then throwing them onto the sandy shore. She was in her undergarments, which never seemed to be a big deal to her. Aang had trained with her many times while she was dressed this way, and the thought barely crossed her mind before she dove into the deeper part of the river.

The water was cool and extremely refreshing, and Katara used her bending to free her hair of its restraints. She stayed under the surface for a long time, creating air bubbles when she needed a breath, but simply enjoying being fully surrounded by her element. Her eyes were closed, and she concentrated on the waters smooth current and how it wove through the canyon and around any obstacle in its way. She could feel it smoothing the surfaces of stones and gently carving into the cliff sides, a seemingly gentle force, but aggressive over time.

A splash brought the waterbender back to her senses, and a rough hand suddenly gripped her arm and pulled her to the surface. Katara panicked slightly, and used the water at her disposal to push the person away. The hand's grip slipped, and the intruder was sent rolling upriver with a twenty-foot wave.

Katara rose to the surface and pushed herself against the current. She followed the intruder upstream, and wondered who would truly be stupid enough to attack a waterbender _in water_. When she saw a flailing and sputtering Zuko drag himself onto the river's shore, guilt filled her insides.

"Zuko! I am so sorry!" Katara rushed to the firebenders side and kneeled next to him. He was coughing considerably, and completely tangled in river weeds, but seemed to be fine.

"Aww man," Zuko murmered as he leaned up, attempting to pull the slimy weeds off him. A slight look of panic passed through his face and his hand instantly shot to the pocket on the inside of his soaked tunic. He pulled out more river weeds, and let out a heavy sigh. "I think I lost my flower petals."

"Well if you wouldn't have scared me like that, maybe you would still have them." Katara sat back and placed her hands on her hips, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"You're the one who scared me," Zuko almost shouted as he tore his eyes away from her. He rose to his feet and attempted to brush off the sand and the remaining river weeds. "You went underwater, and then you never came up. So, I jumped in after you." His face was flushed with embarrassment, and the firebender grew frustrated with himself. "If I would have known I would have been tossed a couple-hundred feet, I would have saved mychivalry for someone else."

"Zuko…" Katara rose to her feet as well and stood awkwardly next to the Fire Prince. She didn't know how to respond, so she clasped her hands behind her back and tried to explain. "There is oxygen underwater, and I can gather it. That's how I breathe."

Zuko looked confused. "There's air underwater? Is it like airbending?"

Katara smiled slightly and pulled the last river weed off his shoulder. "No, it's not airbending at all. I can feel the water around the air, so I form the bubbles together and combine them into one. I can also pull air from the surface…"

"You can't do things like that with fire."

Katara shrugged and reached for Zuko's wrist. "Here, I'll show you," And began to drag him to the water's edge.

This time, Zuko was prepared. He noticed Katara wasn't wearing much, so he dressed to match. Once she released him and dove in, the firebender kicked off his shoes and threw off his tunic and undershirt. Zuko waited, and when Katara rose for air, he jumped in and did a cannonball right in front of her.

"Hey!" Katara yelled, instinctively sending a water-whip in his direction.

"Ok, ok!" Zuko surrendered when he came up for air, raising his arms in defense.

Katara laughed and released the water in her grip. "Are you ready for your waterbending lesson, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko bowed his head mockingly, "Yes I am, Lady Katara."

Without another word, Zuko watched the waterbender dove under the surface, and he followed. He opened his eyes, and was surprised when the water didn't burn like it did in the North Pole. The water was cool, but not overbearingly so, and his sight was only slightly blurred. He could see Katara in front of him, and he watched as thousands of tiny little bubbles began to form between them. Her arms waved slowly at her sides, but it was her fingers that made intricate patterns and seemed to be pushing the bubbles together. Katara then stopped moving, and moved the air pocket in his direction. Zuko breathed out, dipped his lips into the bubble, and took a deep breath. The pocket shrank to non-existence as he sucked in the remaining air, and he watched again as Katara made one for herself.

Zuko smiled to himself and absentmindedly mimicked the moves she made with her hands. He was no waterbender, but his Uncle had taught him that moves from the other elements had taught him how to redirect lightning. The bending they had done together the night before was also a mix of water and fire, so maybe this had some purpose too.

Katara waved towards the firebender, noticing the blank stare that had crossed his face. When he had her attention, she kicked herself to the surface, and Zuko followed.

Once she reached the surface, Katara smiled and wiped the water from her eyes. "See? It's sort of neat, especially when I'm hiding. I can stay under for hours."

"That's actually really useful," Zuko thought aloud. "I could have used it when I was infiltrating the North Pole. I almost drowned under all that ice."

"I'm sure just being a waterbender in general would have been useful in the North Pole," Katara added, and they both laughed.

Zuko's eyes drifted away for a moment and his eyebrows knitted together as if in thought. "Hey," he said softly, "Yue was a Princess, right?"

Katara cocked her head to the side, wondering what could have brought this on. "Uhm, yes?"

"And she was the daughter of the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, right?"

"Er, yes."

"Then why aren't you considered a Princess?"

Zuko instantly realized he struck a nerve in the waterbender. Her eyes glazed over slightly, and she sunk a little deeper into the water. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Well," she began, "The Southern Water Tribe used to have a monarchy-type system, but it ended when the war started."

Zuko swam closer to her. "What happened?" '_Stupid. Of course I can guess what happened.'_

"They were killed." Katara bluntly stated. "They were all waterbenders, the Chief, his wife, and two sons. In the first raid, nobody was prepared, and it really sent a shock through the community. The repeated raids only dampened their spirits, and they never had the heart to reinstate any sort of monarchy."

Zuko let the information sink in, suddenly saddened by their history. Another question formed in the firebenders mind, but Katara spoke again before he could ask.

"Chiefs remained the leaders of our tribe, but they had less significance. Titles were given only to the head Chief and all other names were dropped for the families' protection. Plus, it was no longer a hereditary right. My father earned his position by being the best warrior in our village. The bloodline from the original 'royal' family died in that first raid, so it no longer matters." Katara slipped under the surface for a second to cool her face and smooth her hair back. When she rose, Zuko was staring at her with a look of pure guilt and a twinge of sadness.

"It's not your fault Zuko," Katara added, "…so stop looking like that."

Zuko's hair began to frizz as it baked in the sun, and it only added to his distressed expression. "I can't help it. I can't help but feel guilty for all that has happened. They were my ancestors, but their blood is my blood. As Prince I was expected to continue the raids, to continue the war."

"-But you're not like that anymore. You're here, in the present, pretending to waterbend with me: Katara, and searching for flower petals so Aang doesn't freak out."

This made Zuko smile, and he nodded toward his friend. Katara smiled back, and glanced down the river.

"You know, we probably shouldn't keep Appa waiting."

"You're right," Zuko replied as he followed her gaze. "We better get walking."

Katara gave him a sideways glance. "Who said anything about walking?"

Zuko didn't get a chance to question her when a thick sheet of ice formed under their feet and brought them to the surface. Katara grabbed on to his wrist when he almost slipped off.

"Hang on!" She called as she summoned a giant wave, and the pair began to surf down the river. It wasn't long when Appa came into view, and Katara let the wave crash behind them and the ice melt beneath their feet. The waterbender sank gracefully back into the water, while Zuko splashed and sputtered just behind her.

"Yikes, sorry Zuko," Katara said again, "I guess we'll have to work on that one."

Zuko pushed himself to the surface and coughed, "My-my clothes!"

Katara shielded her eyes from the sun and glanced upstream. "Oh, they're coming."

"What?" Zuko turned in the direction Katara was looking, only to get smacked in the face with his wet tunic and shirt. His boots followed in another wave, but he was quick to avoid those.

The pair swam to the shore, and Katara bent the water out of Zuko's hair and clothes. After putting his belongings back on, he looked less miserable, and was even able to force a crooked smile on her.

"I should probably start heading back up," Zuko said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "It probably wouldn't be good if we both showed up at the same time."

"Yeah…" Katara thought as her eyes moved over the cliff that surrounded the canyon. "Uhm, you want me to give you a ride? I can drop you off at your old campground if you want, it will save you a lot of…scaling."

Zuko followed Katara's gaze and shuddered. "Yeah, that would be great."

With a nod, Katara woke the sleeping bison who hadn't moved an inch since she left him, and managed to get him to shore. After bending him dry, the pair silently climbed the bison's back and flew to Zuko's previous campground. The flight was silent, not awkward, and both benders simply enjoyed the sound of the wind as it whistled past their ears. They didn't need conversation; their thoughts kept them occupied enough. When they arrived, the firebender reluctantly hopped off Appa's back. Zuko looked up at Katara, shielding his eyes from the evening sun.

"So…see you at dinner?"

Katara laughed and gave him a wave. "Yes, if I can stay awake until then." And with that, she called out a 'Yip yip!' and set the bison in motion.

Zuko watched from his spot as Appa and his one passenger disappeared, the thick trees blocking his view.


	5. Chapter 5

**Opposite Elements**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: Oy.

--

"Katara!"

Aang ran up the waterbender and wrapped his arms around her. Once he pulled away, he gave her a big grin. "About time you came home! We're just about ready to eat." The airbender glanced at the empty hall behind her and raised his eyebrows. "…Where's Zuko?"

Katara's arms tensed, and her eyes instantly darted to Toph, Suki, and Teo. They were standing behind Aang, awaiting her return with him, and shaking their heads furiously.

"Uhm, I don't know," she said quietly, returning her attention to the airbender.

"Really?" Aang asked, "I thought he was with you?"

Katara sidestepped around Aang and walked towards the rest of her friends. "Well, no... Isn't he here?" she asked, trying her best to sound genuine.

Toph turned towards Aang and let out a frustrating grunt. "I told you Twinkle-Toes, Zuko left early this morning to get some flowers or something for his headache, remember?"

"Oh," Aang mumbled softly, sounding slightly disappointed, "I forgot."

Sokka appeared from inside the temple carrying a fresh pile of wood. "Zuko left this morning?" he asked as he placed the wood in the fire pit. "It's almost sundown; don't you think he'd be back by now?"

"Zuko's a big boy, I think he can take care of himself," Suki said as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Sokka jumped, surprised by the sudden touch, then relaxed into her embrace.

Katara smiled at them, and then turned her attention towards the setting sun. She watched as the stars pricked at the darkening sky, and the slight rise of the crescent moon, now filling as the days passed. She stood there for a long moment, blocking out all sounds of conversation that drifted behind her. The night seemed to pull at her, and Katara stepped out onto the stone veranda that overlooked the river below. Her senses filled with the noises of the night, and the silent rush of the river that she couldn't see.

The swift, yet smooth movement of arms wrapping around her waist had the waterbender jumping out of her skin.

"Ah! What?" Katara reeled around and found herself facing Aang, who had awkwardly snatched his hands back at her reaction.

"Er, sorry," he said, his cheeks reddening. "I uh…just thought…"

"Thought what?" Katara demanded, attempting to smooth down the goose bumps that had formed on her arms. "You scared me! Please don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry!" Aang apologized, "I just… I know Sokka and Suki both like it, and I thought…"

"-Aang." Katara stated his name firmly. She didn't know what to say to him, and just wanted him to stop talking.

Just at that moment, a rope was uncoiled from the cliffside above out of the corner of Katara's eye. She recognized it instantly, and welcomed the distraction as a dark figure slid down it, and swung his way onto the veranda.

"-Hey guys, Zuko here!"

"Hey Zuko," Aang and Katara replied in unison, though the waterbenders tone was way more enthusiastic.

Aang was still standing too close for comfort, so Katara took a step away and greeted the firebender at the far window. "So," she began, "heard you went out for flower petals?"

"Yeah," Zuko pulled a white flower out of his shirt pocket and waved it in the air. "My headache was gone by the time I found it, but just in case, I have a backup."

"Great," Aang muttered stoically, which caused both Zuko's and Katara's eyebrows to rise. The benders stood there in awkward silence, Aang waiting for Zuko to leave, Katara waiting for Aang to leave, and Zuko just wanting to put something his stomach before he passed out.

"So…is dinner ready?" Zuko asked as he pulled at the rope and began to recoil it around his arm.

"I'm not sure; I've been standing out here the whole time. Hey Aang-" Katara turned to the airbender and smiled. "Do you mind checking?"

The blank expression on the Avatar's face seemed to melt at the sight of Katara's smile. He couldn't help but return the gesture, and give her a wave. "Of course, be right back!" and he slipped back inside.

Katara waited a moment until the Avatar's steps faded in with the voices from inside, then whirled around to face a disheveled-looking Zuko.

"Smooth," Katara spoke softly, and smiled as she did so.

Zuko couldn't help but return the gesture, realizing that this must be how Aang felt every time Katara smiled. The sudden thought made him feel uneasy and warm at the same time, but he didn't let it falter his expression. "How long have you been here?" He asked.

"Not long, I actually just got back. Which leaves me to ask…" Katara looked at the firebender from head to toe, and did her best to suppress a laugh. "…did you _run_ to get here?"

"What?" Zuko asked as he ran his free hand through his hair. This caused small twigs and leaves to fall out and land on his shoulders and the stone floor at his feet. When Zuko finally looked down at himself, he realized that he was literally coated in dirt and mud, and this caused both benders to break out into hysterical laughter.

"Well you should have seen yourself this morning!" Zuko gasped between bits of laughter.

"What do you mean?" Katara attempted to control her breathing, but fell into a fit of giggles instead.

Zuko clutched his stomach as the image of Katara filled his head. She had hay sticking out of her hair in all directions, and Zuko's eyes began to water.

"When you fell off Appa's saddle, it was classic!"

"-You fell off Appa's saddle?"

It was Aang, and he stood at the stone entrance to the veranda, staring at the pair with concerned eyes.

Katara forced herself to calm down, letting a hiccup escape here and there, while Zuko wiped his eyes and looked down at the floor.

"Oh, uhm, it was a long time ago Aang," Katara muttered as her eyes drifted to the floor as well.

Aang let the silence settle, and shrugged. "Ok, well, dinner's ready," then walked away.

Zuko and Katara followed the airbender and took their seats around the fire. Katara sat between her father and Suki, while Zuko took a spot directly across from her. The Duke, Teo and Haru had serving duties that evening, so they cooked and prepared everyone's meals. Toph for once was sitting next to Zuko without Teo attached to her hip. She was blabbering away about some invention Teo had been working on, and Zuko was smiling and listening patiently.

The meals were quickly passed around, almost dangerously, with the three boys tossing plates to their owners so they could sit down and eat as quickly as possible. Once all the food had been handed out, everyone settled in to light conversation

Katara noticed Zuko's insecurities appear again when he received his plate. Toph's attention had turned to Teo, and the firebender couldn't sit still. His eyes darted back and forth between his food and Aang, and he fidgeted with his tea cup, absentmindedly sending the contents into a full boil.

"I've been meaning to talk with you all," Zuko suddenly shouted over the chatter, maybe a little louder than necessary.

Everyone stopped eating and stared in his direction. No one said a word, and the entire group seemed to be frozen, eyes glued to the firebender.

Katara saw the comfort level of the group drop, so she took it as an opportunity to speak. "What did you need to talk to us about, Zuko?" The waterbender asked lightly, her eyes concentrating on the prince.

Zuko placed his untouched food on the ground and cleared his throat. "Well," he began, "We've been hiding here for a long time, and I think it's time that we move out, and find a new place to hide."

Groans and comments of disapproval suddenly erupted from the group. The uproar brought Zuko to his feet in an attempt to defend himself.

"Azula will find us sooner or later, and I suspect she'll be here any day now. We should leave while we have the chance! The more we keep moving, the safer we'll be."

Katara launched up to her feet, and Suki and Toph did as well.

"I agree with Zuko!" Katara yelled, and this brought the rest of the group to silence. She had nothing else prepared, and attempted to step out of the firelight, but Suki's hand caught her back.

"We've overstayed our welcome," Suki spoke confidently, and made sure she caught everyone's gaze. "We've also been very noisy, and we keep forgetting that we're not out of earshot of the Fire Nation."

The Duke very patiently raised his hand, and Suki called on him.

"If we leave, where will we go?" he asked, his voice suddenly smaller and quieter than usual.

Everyone looked at Zuko, and he had a slight look of defeat apparent on his face.

"We don't have very many options," Zuko began again. You could tell he had been thinking about this for a long time, and Katara wondered why it took him so long to finally bring the topic up.

"There's the ancient city of the Sun Warriors, but that's a matter of whether they accept a large group. It would be a huge risk for them to take us in."

Sokka whipped his hand in the air, and Zuko pointed to him. The warrior sighed heavily and was sure to meet everyone's gaze, including his fathers. "I hate to say it, but Zuko's right." Sokka looked at Teo and Toph from across the fire, "But, I don't think we can all go together."

Teo rolled closer to the flames and caught everyone's attention. "Some of us can return to the Earth Kingdom," he said, and glanced slightly to Toph. Katara realized that he was making the decision of splitting the group so no one else had to. "Haru and The Duke can come with me."

"-I'll come with you," Hakoda spoke, looking between Sokka and Katara as he did so. "I'm a chief without an army, I feel I can do more good in the Earth Kingdom, and help bring fighters together to end this war,"

"Me too," Suki jumped in. "My warriors are out there somewhere, and this is the perfect opportunity to find them."

Zuko raised his hands up in the air, and this silenced the complaints that were ready to happen.

"Wait, this isn't fully our decision, but also the Avatar's." Zuko's golden eyes turned towards the Avatar, "Aang, what do you think?"

Everyone's eyes shot to Aang, who hadn't touched his food, and seemed to be clutching his staff tightly. Without rising, he simply lifted his head and nodded once.

"The decision has already been made. The sooner we leave, the better. I'll take the first group to the Earth Kingdom tonight, then return and take everyone else to the Fire Nation."

Murmurs and the clinking of plates and cups was the only sound that followed. Everyone else sat down to continue eating, and Zuko watched as Katara moved to her father and collapsed into his arms. Hakoda did his best to comfort her, and Katara did her best to be strong. After sharing a few words that the firebender couldn't hear, Hakoda gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead, and she returned to her spot to finish her meal.

Suki and Sokka were unusually silent, but the latter kept glancing towards her, waiting for her to become less-occupied and concentrated with her food. When Suki finished eating, she quickly rose and glided to the washroom to clean her plate, avoiding Sokka's piercing gaze the entire way.

Toph was silent as well, but Teo continued to speak with her, pretending not to notice the sudden change in the earthbenders attitude. When they finished their meal, they left their plates by the fire and rolled down the hall towards the stables. Katara and Zuko watched them carefully, and once the couple was out of sight, they diverted their eyes to each other. The waterbender gave a sad smile, and Zuko sighed heavily, both of them realizing that this decision would be affecting Toph more than any of them thought.

"Well, better get packing," Haru spoke loudly, and the The Duke followed him. Hakoda rose and gave his son a pat on the shoulder before leaving. That left Katara, Zuko, Aang and Sokka alone at the fire, staring into the dancing flames, lost in their own thoughts.

"…are we doing the right thing?" Aang suddenly asked, then taking a bite out of his lettuce wrap.

Sokka didn't reply, and instead leapt up to his feet and stomped off toward the washroom. The rest of the group winced internally, and did their best to shake off the uncertainty.

Katara scooted next to the airbender and wrapped an arm around him. "We were never meant to be such a large group. Plus they may be able to find more troops in the Earth Kingdom." The waterbender squeezed Aangs shoulders in an attempt to comfort him.

"Ba Sing Se has fallen, but the people won't stay," Zuko added. "If they can escape, Hakoda can find the refugees and help them. Teo, Haru, and The Duke know the Earth Kingdom best out of all of us here, and Hakoda will need their help too."

"But what about Suki?" Aang asked, his eyes darting to where Sokka once sat.

Zuko sighed and climbed to his feet. "That's her own decision," and without another word, walked away.

Katara smiled at the airbender and helped him to his feet. "Everything's going to be ok, now let's get you and Appa ready to go."

--

Everyone seemed to be packed and ready to leave in an hour. Haru, The Duke and Hakoda sat on their packs impatiently as final food arrangements were prepared by Suki and Katara. The Kyoshi warrior was silent the entire time, as if fighting an internal battle with herself, and Katara couldn't help but notice that the girl was on edge.

"Suki, can you please be a little more…gentle?" Katara asked, eyeing the bread that Suki had just ferociously torn apart with her hands.

"Oh, sorry."

"We have knives you know…"

"I know," Suki sighed, then wrapped the bread as gently as possibly in cloth. "I'm just all bent out of shape about this trip."

"Well," Katara started, "You don't have to go, you can stay with us."

"I would, but I can't." Suki rolled up the final bread piece and placed it in the bag. "I know I'm making Sokka upset, but he doesn't understand. My warriors are out there somewhere, and I just can't leave them rotting in a cell while I'm out playing footsy with your brother."

Katara winced internally. She found it slightly uncomfortable to talk about Sokka's and Suki's love life, especially since she knew absolutely nothing on the subject. The closest she came to liking anybody was Jet, and that still left her feeling bruised inside. She could have saved him at Lake Laogai, and the weight of the spirit water could still be felt around her neck, even though it had been months since the small vial was emptied.

"But," Katara spoke, absentmindedly reaching for the invisible chain around her neck, "…it's more than that, isn't it? You and Sokka, it's not a game for you, right?"

Suki finished the food and closed the flap on the pack. "Of course not."

The warrior's green eyes drifted out the window and adjusted on the specks of stars in the sky. "I'm so worried about being a distraction. He's out saving the world, fighting for his life every day, and I feel like we're at a point where we would do anything for each other, even give up our own lives." Suki's eyes drifted back to Katara's, and they were heavy with sadness. "I would never want him to give up his life to save mine, and I don't want him getting hurt just by having me around."

"Who said you would get hurt? You have all of us here to protect you."

"Yes, I know, but don't you realize? _If _one of us got hurt, how would we react? How would _he_ react? I think…" Suki suddenly grew quiet, and began to fidget with her hands. She took a deep breath and concentrated on a grey stone that jutted out of the counter. "-I think I love him, but I'm not ready to tell him yet, and I think this space will be good for us."

Someone cleared their throat in the background, and Katara and Suki both jumped. It was Zuko, and he was waiting patiently at the entrance, leaning lightly on the frame. "Sokka wanted me to tell you two that everyone else is ready to go."

Suki let out a snort and grabbed both bags of food, then heaved them over her shoulders. "Well that's just typical of Sokka, lazy, good for nothing, can't even walk over here to tell us himself…" The warrior grumbled to herself as she left the kitchen and made her way to Appa's stall. This left Zuko and Katara alone, and the firebender couldn't help but eye her suspiciously. She still held a shocked expression on her face from the information Suki gave her, and even now it stood unwavering, even in Zuko's presence.

"Hey, uh, you ok?"

Katara blinked, and her eyes locked with the firebenders.

"I'm not sure," she said honestly.

"Well, we should probably go say goodbye to everyone, before they, you know, leave."

"Oh, yeah," Katara pushed herself away from the stone counter and walked towards the door Zuko leaned on. Before she could pass, Zuko snatched a hand out and blocked her way for a split second. "You know, if you ever need someone to talk to…just to talk, or whatever, I'm…here, if you want."

Katara looked at the firebender and gave a small smile. "Thanks, Zuko."

Zuko gave a crooked smile in return, and let Katara pass. He followed her down the shadowy halls to the stables, where everyone leaving was already set in the saddle and ready to go.

Katara was the first to climb Appa and launch herself into her father's arms. After the short goodbye, she took turns hugging everyone else, and saved Aang for last.

"Fly safe," was all Katara could muster when she faced the airbender. Aang took her hand and pulled her into an embrace. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be back before you know it."

Katara was the first to pull away and giving one last smile, slid off Appa's back. She joined Zuko and Sokka on the floor and did her best to maintain her composure as the group flew away, shouting goodbyes and waving furiously in the process. When Appa was out of sight, Katara was the first to bring up Toph's absence in the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"Where is she?"

Sokka sighed heavily, his stiff façade melting slightly. "She won't come out of her room. She didn't want to see anybody off."

Katara didn't reply, and instead took in the silence that followed. The temple seemed to echo eerily in response to the sudden lack of inhabitants. She was so used to it brimming with people, her comrades breathing life into its halls. Without the sound of voices and footsteps to comfort her, Katara felt oddly alone, despite the presence of the two people she was sandwiched between.

"I miss everyone already."

"Me too," Zuko and Sokka replied in unison.


	6. Chapter 6

**Opposite Elements**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: I know it's been just about 2 years since my last update, but I'm jumping back into this thing, and I'm doing it at full swing. This is a very small chapter, but it's really just a buffer for what's yet to come. Sorry if I pissed anyone off for fic abandonment, and sorry if my writing sucks. : )

The events of the last two days finally crept up on Katara that evening, and she was the first to bed. Instead of sleeping in her room, she relit the fire in the main gathering hall and collapsed into her pile of furs on the floor. She felt incredibly alone in the quiet temple, and she tried to find some solace in the carvings of the ancient Airbenders on the stone walls and ceilings, and in the memory of the voices that bounced off of them only hours before. She was never able to quite grasp that comfort, and fell asleep wondering when she would ever see her father again.

Sokka was next, and when he almost quite literally stumbled upon his sister, he took his own furs from his room and created a makeshift bed next to her. He was suffering just as much as she was, not only from losing his father for a second time, but for losing Suki. Sokka was physically tired, but he couldn't get his mind to shut up. He should have talked to Suki before she left, told her how he truly felt, and now he feared he would never get that chance. Ever since Princess Yue's death, Sokka promised himself he would never take anyone's presence for granted, and now he felt as if he broke his promise, and how he may have seen Suki for the last time. These thoughts encircled his mind until the Water Tribe warrior drifted off into a restless sleep.

Toph snuck out of her room later that night. Her feet still stung from the burns, but the pain was bearable, and she was able to feel where she was going. Loneliness hung heavy around her, and she scouted the temple in hopes to harass her favorite Fire Bender. Instead she came across two sleeping forms wrapped in fur, breathing slowly next to a dying fire. She stood there for a moment, absorbing the scene, knowing how they felt despite the fact that they were both in a deep sleep. Toph felt that way too, painfully alone, though she would never admit to it. Aang would be back soon, and that would be some comfort, but her family was right in front of her, and they were all hurting. The earthbender at that moment did the only thing she could think of that would make her feel better, she curled up next to Katara and slipped into dreamless sleep.

Zuko was the last one awake. Just like the rest of the temples inhabitants, the firebender found himself feeling incredibly lonely, and sought out Toph to have someone to talk to. When he found her room empty, he thought maybe Sokka would want someone to talk to, especially with Sukki's quick departure. With that room found unoccupied as well, Zuko scratched his head and walked down the hall to Katara's room, slightly hesitant, but desperate for attention. The firebender mentally stomped his foot when he noticed her room was empty as well, and at that point he made a quick rush to the kitchen; food always made him feel better. It was then that he noticed the dying fire in the main hall, and the three silent forms sleeping next to it. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and Zuko brought more wood to feed the almost dead fire. After bending the flames to a comfortable heat, he sat cross-legged next to Toph and used his fingers to bend small shapes and designs into the fire. He continued to do this for a while until he heard someone roll over, and couldn't help but stare at Katara, who was now facing him. Her eyes were closed, and he watched how the light from the fire bounced off her hair and face, which held a surprisingly peaceful expression. This made him smile, and the firebender continued to bend his element until he too finally fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Opposite Elements**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: Gawd I'm so rusty, it hurts my soul.

BOOM!

The entire foundation that the Western Air Temple hung from shook violently, jolting its' four inhabitants awake.

"What was that?" Sokka asked, jumping to his feet. Another explosion rocked the temple, and Zuko instantly pulled everyone else to their feet, "It must be the Fire Nation, they found us!"

The shakes from the explosions didn't seem to cease, and there was a strange, subtle rumble that kept they group in a squatting position to keep their balance. Soon the entire temple seemed to be crumbling around them. "What is that?" Katara asked, reaching for her skins and tying them around her waist.

Toph slapped her hands to the ground and observed the area. "…they're drilling from above us!" Another detonation hit the building next to them, "…and I have no idea what the heck that is."

Luckily the fire they were sleeping by earlier had completely died out, leaving no hints as to their current location. Zuko launched himself from his squatting position and to the ledge. In the dark, he could make out the shapes of war balloons, _dozens _of them. Two metal airships also flew with them, massive fireballs being shot from their decks. Chunks of the air temple were being blown apart, collapsing and toppling into the gorge below. These sorts of reckless tactics could only be done by one person, and Zuko knew Azula was aboard one of those ships.

"We have to run, we can't stay here!" Sokka cried, trying to stay steady with the tremble of the temple.

Katara forced herself to her feet and latched on to Toph. "But Aang's out there, what if he's fighting and needs our help?"

Zuko pushed himself away from the ledge. "Even if he was, what can we do? We're up against an entire infantry, dozens of war balloons, and two airships! All of their attacks are being directed towards us, so chances are Aang isn't out there. We need to leave before they find us."

Katara was ready to argue but Sokka grabbed her arm and dragged her in the opposite direction. Zuko swooped Toph up onto his shoulders and the group made their way out of the building. The walls were collapsing around them, the ferocity of the fireballs and the drilling nearing their location.

"Sword, boomerang…" Sokka took a quick turn and separated from the group. He returned moments later with his weapons strapped on his back. "Catch brutha!" he called towards Zuko, and tossed him his dual swords.

"Thanks," Zuko responded, tying the weapons onto his back.

They turned another corner and continued to sprint to the bridge ahead. "We're not going to make it!" Katara cried, an unusual sound of defeat in her voice. Zuko looked forward and saw the stone bridge that connected their temple to the next finally cave. They were trapped.

"Put me down!"

Zuko had forgotten about the small earthbender on his shoulders, and hadn't realized that she had been dragging her hands along the temple's ceiling to feel what was happening. He did as he was told and Toph quickly took charge.

"We're jumping this, so everybody hold on!"

"Hold on to WHAT!" Sokka cried as he latched onto his sister, Toph and Zuko.

It was just that moment that Zuko caught a glint of fire in the corner of his eye. He barely had the chance to let a, 'No!' escape his lips before a massive fireball collided into the temple, causing the floor to crumble at their feet. Toph attempted to bend the stone upwards, to give the group some leverage to jump to the next temple, but it was too late. With the foundation gone, the temple collapsed around them, and they fell with it.

"Princess Azula, the Western Air Temple has been destroyed. If there were any survivors, they would have perished in the temple's collapse."

A pair of golden eyes flicked towards the guard, who stood awkwardly in her presence. She tapped a perfectly-manicured nail against her desk and rose to her feet.

"Soldier, who are we searching for?"

"The Avatar, your highness."

"Yes, and that should be self explanatory enough! Send a search party through the gorge. I want him found and brought to me, dead or alive. Do you understand?"

"Yes, your highness."

The soldier turned on his heals to walk away, but one question kept him from leaving the room.

"…Your highness, what of your brother, Prince Zuko?"

An apparent twitch shot through Azula's features. "He is a traitor to this nation, so if he's found, kill him on site. Otherwise, leave his body to rot."

She couldn't breathe.

The impact from the water slammed against Katara's chest, knocking the wind out of her. She tried to reach the surface, bend, do _anything_, but her mind was completely disoriented. She couldn't figure out which way was up and down, and waves caused by the collapsing Air Temple kept pushing her farther downstream.

Eventually the waterbender was slammed into the cliffside where she held on for dear life. She used what little strength she had to pull herself out of the water and scanned the dark waves for any sign of her friends. The sky was warming with deep purples and pinks, and Katara knew that once the sun rose, in their current position they were open targets to the Fire Nation.

"-hey…"

The whisper behind her made Katara jump and instinctively grab the intruder, pulling him over her shoulder in attempt to throw him in the water. Mid-throw she realized it was Zuko and watched helplessly as he went flying back into the river.

"Agh, HEY!" Zuko cried, more in pain than annoyance as he flailed awkwardly in the water. Katara sighed heavily, wondering if the Prince had suddenly forgotten how to swim, and bent the river to push him gently back to shore.

"What the heck is wrong with you!" Katara hissed at the firebender as he dragged himself onto the sand. "You can't just sneak up on people like that, especially in the middle of a raid!"

"Geeze, I'm sorry! I thought you heard me..."

The couple was silenced by the sound of another fireball crushing into another temple building. They could hear the foundation of the building creek and finally collapse into the gorge below. The sound was deafening, and the two benders could hear cheers from the soldiers upon the airships' decks.

"We have to find Sokka and Toph…" Katara whispered, suddenly very aware of the Fire Nations' presence.

"Honestly Katara, we can't stay here. Soon there will be search parties down here looking for us." His golden eyes looked towards the East, where he could see the first hint of sun peeking over the horizon. "They'll be fine; we'll just meet up with them at the rendezvous point."

Katara stared at him blankly. "What rendezvous point?"

Zuko stared at the waterbender for a moment, digesting her words. "Please don't tell me that you guys never agreed on a rendezvous point in case something like _this_ ever happened…" He took one of his arms and flung it in the direction of the airships. Just as he did so, another temple building fell into the river, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Orders could be heard being shouted among the men, and a few of the war balloons separated from the main fleet and headed in their direction.

"We can take the river to the ocean, we wont leave a trail that way. But once we get there…" Katara's voice faltered, suddenly feeling very unsure about their current situation.

"We'll figure it out as we go," Zuko assured her, placing one hand on her shoulder. Katara nodded and waded back into the water, forming a thick sheet of ice for her to stand on. Zuko stood on the shore and stared at her. "I thought we were just going to swim?"

"Not on your life." Katara replied as she dragged the firebender onto the ice sheet. "…though, you may want to hold on…"

"Hold on to wha-WOW!" Zuko almost toppled backwards as Katara shot the ice sheet forward. He knelt down and held onto her ankle for support as they skimmed the river, moving farther and farther away from the war balloons.

The trip was silent, and Zuko could notice that Katara was getting tired. It was constant bending, and she had begun to slow down considerably after a few hours. And of course Zuko wouldn't admit it, but squatting for so long was beginning to take its toll on his legs.

"Katara, I think we should stop and rest, you shouldn't use all of your enegy-"

"-No! I'm fine. Just a little farther…"

"I know you can do it, but we're very exposed like this. We should probably head east, and try to make our way to the Earth Kingdom. Or we can wrap around the entire island and try to get to the Ancient City of the Sun Warriors." Zuko tapped his finger against Katara's ankle, deep in thought. "Where do you think Toph and Sokka would go?"

Katara slowed them down and let the ice sheet melt back into the river. "I would imagine the Earth Kingdom. Sokka would probably want to find Sukki, and our father." The couple waded back to shore, and it was then that Katara noticed Zuko wasn't using his right arm.

"Hey Zuko, what's wrong with your arm?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied, turning away from her and beginning to walk up the bank.

"No, stop…" Katara reached for his shoulder and spun him around. He had his arm clutched to his chest, and was staring at the ground to avoid eye contact.

"What happened?" The waterbender asked, instinctively reaching for his arm.

"Don't!" Zuko snapped, reeling his body away from her, "…just, don't."

"Stop being stubborn and let me see it!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't deserve it!"

This comment stunned Katara. She left her arm raised, poised in midair, unsure of what to do with it. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

Zuko sighed heavily and turned towards her again, glancing towards the sky to make sure the Fire Nation was still out of sight. They still had time.

"When I think of the things I've done to you this past year, it makes me sick. I've betrayed you, more than once, and I still can't believe that I'm here! I can't believe that after everything I've done to you, and to Aang, Sokka, Suki, Toph, your family, _everyone,_ that you allow me to be here, to help you. I don't deserve your help, or your sympathy. All I can do is offer myself as a warrior, and hope that my skill can assist you in bringing down my father, and in bringing peace to the world."

Katara considered this, and couldn't help but smile internally. "Well you know, you're only a warrior running at 50%. We have to get your arm fixed and get you back to 100 before you're any use to us."

Zuko was shocked by her answer and cracked a smile. "50? I'm more like 85%. I have two perfectly good working legs and I _breathe _fire. That has to be some use to you…"

Katara took this moment to snatch his arm, which caused the firebender to wince.

"Ok Firebreath, shut your trap so we can fix this thing, ok?" She could feel the bone had completely snapped, and part of it was jutting to the side. If she left it the way it was, it would never heal properly, and the Prince would have a useless arm for the rest of his life.

The waterbender sighed heavily and looked directly in Zuko's eyes. "I'm going to do something, something I promised I would never do, but you have to trust me…"

Zuko nodded, not sure of what to expect. When he began to feel the insides of his arm moving, he clenched down on his teeth and fisted his good hand, trying not to scream out in pain. He let an awkward "…Ow…" escape his lips before he glanced down at his arm, and noticed that his insides were moving on their own.

He was struck silent as he watched the girl bloodbend. He had never seen it done before, and he didn't even know it was possible. The expression on Katara's face wasn't the calm and serene look she usually had when she was healing. In fact, she looked completely horrified, though her eyes were closed and her brow knitted in concentration.

"I'm sorry, I'm almost done, I just have to line up the bone…there!" She held his arm in place and tore off part of the lining of her Fire Nation outfit to use as a makeshift sling. "Now be careful not to move it, I'll make something better once we get out of eyesight."

Zuko forced a laugh as Katara tied the sling around his arm and shoulder. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and nervous around the waterbender, and a million questions about the bloodbending bubbled up in his throat, though he managed to force out: "I know what to do, I've had broken limbs before."

She finished tying the fabric and stepped around him to face him. "Yeah? Played rough as a kid?"

She was avoiding the situation too.

The fake smile on Zuko's face faltered, and he was quick to shrug his good side. "Yeah…something like that."

Katara scooped water up from the river and continuously ran in through the firebenders arm. She continued to do this as they crossed the river and headed east into the forest, using its trees as a shield against the harsh sunlight, and a cover to hide from the Fire Nation.

Zuko had never been healed by a waterbender before, and he found the cool liquid massaging his skin to be terribly relaxing. His thoughts of the bloodbending disappeared as his mind rested at ease. He watched Katara's fingers move fluidly, almost mystified by the power of her element. He was so used to fire, and how it could only burn, only _destroy. _Being able to witness and feel a healing process made him feel one step closer to understanding the water element, and to understanding this _waterbender_. They were both truly opposite elements.

"_-_What are you staring at?" Katara asked, snapping out of her concentration and staring at the Prince with suspicious eyes.

"Uh, nothing!" Zuko's eyes instantly diverted to the path in front of them, and an awkward silence fell on the pair.

The hours of nonstop bending was sucking the energy out of Katara, but she refused to show this weakness in front of the Prince. She decided that conversation would best help her stay awake. "So, how did this happen?" She asked, gesturing towards his arm.

Zuko looked down at his arm and knitted his brow. "Well, when I hit the water, I was sort of in a shallow area, so I basically just cut through it and slammed into the bottom. I was surprised I didn't get crushed by the temple debris though."

"Me too," Katara added. "Toph really saved us there by pushing us away from the temple before we fell."

Katara's words hung in the air, both benders deep in thought. They were worried about their comrades and themselves as well. They had no food, no supplies, just each other to somehow get out of this mess.

They continued to walk through the forest, careful to listen for any sign of life, which included Toph and Sokka, or the Fire Nation. The sun rotated above them, rising high above their heads, then began to set behind their backs. With their last hour of sunlight, the pair decided to make camp. Zuko knew how exhausted Katara was, and he had to literally force her to stop healing his arm. He slightly regretted it for once her touch left his arm, the pain returned, though not as fierce as it was before.

Zuko started a small fire and prepared beds out of dry leaves. Katara left for a few moments and returned with fish she had caught out of a small stream.

"Dinner?" she asked as she stuck two small fish on a stick and handed it to him.

Zuko took the fish eagerly and nodded, "Thanks."

Both benders sat down and cooked their food over the fire. The silence was awkward, and they each stole glances at the other, hoping one of them would say something.

"So…" Zuko started, "You can fish?"

Katara laughed and shook her head. "No, not really. Sokka was the one who could really fish…sort of. I just cheat and use my bending. It was actually the first thing I learned to do on my own."

"Really? The first thing I learned how to do was burn off Azula's hair when she was a baby." Though his tone was completely serious, his mouth twitched into a smile.

Katara laughed and took a bite out of her food. "Azula, a baby?" She asked with a full mouth, "I can't imagine!"

"Neither can I. It was all so long ago…" Zuko's mind drifted off into old memories and the pair fell silent again, chewing their fish thoughtfully. It wasn't long until Katara began to yawn uncontrollably, and when the sun officially set, the young waterbender was fast asleep. Zuko watched her for a few moments. He couldn't figure out what was so intoxicating about firelight on her face, and the slow rise and fall of her breathing as she slept. His mind drifted between more practical thoughts of what their plan was, and what they were going to do once they reached the shore, and to thoughts of _her._ He already knew he was starting to like her, and not just the 'friend' kind of like either. He honestly thought they would never get along, not only because of what he had done to her in the past, but from what he had done to the world in aiding his nation in the war. There was more to her then what reached the eye, and past all of her stubbornness, maybe she could grow and learn to understand him, and maybe, just maybe, they could at least be friends.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, for it is clearly property of Nickelodeon/Viacom/MTV.

Notes: Hmm, it's been, 2 years? What the hell has brought this on you may ask? Well, the Legend of Korra, to be honest. And it's not fair to create a story and not finish it /cough/ Robert Jordan /cough/. I want to try and finish this, I really really do and though the updates wont be frequent, (sorry, I have a job and stuff so it's hard to just sit and write for funsies) i'll do my best, yeah? Btw, I haven't written anything in that same time frame, so this may be a little rough.

Zuko was the first to wake up, jolted by a nightmare that he suddenly couldn't remember. It was still dark out, and only a few embers remained in the once warm fire. The Prince breathed life back into the flames, careful to make it only large enough for warmth, but small enough so it couldn't be seen through the thick trees above him.

Zuko glanced around him and saw Katara to his right. She was asleep, and shivering as the early morning dew gathered in small beads in her hair. He reached out to bend fire in her direction but pain instantly shot through his arm, causing the firebender to grunt and snatch it back.

This caused Katara to rouse just as ungracefully as Zuko did, and it took a moment for the waterbender to gather her surroundings. Her cerulean eyes drank in the information around her before finally resting on Zuko, and he couldn't help but notice how exhausted she looked.

"Hey," she finally said, her voice deep with sleep. Her eyes went questioningly from his face to his arm, a look of concern washing over her.

"Hey," Zuko replied back, noticing the glance and letting his arm drop, "Sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's ok. I was having a bad dream anyway." Katara scooted closer to the fire and attempted to rub warmth back into her numb skin. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long," he paused, "But it's kind of a good thing you are awake, we should probably keep moving."

Katara sighed heavily and rose slowly to her feet. Zuko noticed the slump in her shoulders and the darkness beneath her eyes, realizing that all of the bending she had done the day before had really taken a toll. More guilt settled in, and he thought that if his arm hadn't been broken from the fall he would have no problem carrying her to their next destination if he had to.

The Prince shakily pulled himself up and kicked dirt into what was left of the fire. He could still see Katara's face in the glow of the dying embers, streaked with worry and...what was that, pain? Zuko wasn't sure what to make of it but couldn't ignore the heavy sadness that was radiating from the girl.

It was another few hours before the sun rose, and the couple trudged through the thickening forest, Zuko holding a small flame to light their way. All was silent except for their tired feet dragging on the forest floor, occasionally tripping up on a plant or raised root. Once the heat of the day began to seep under the forest canopy, the pair would stop to rest for a few moments, Katara attempting to pull water from the very plants that tried to trip her.

"Now _that_ is revenge at it's finest," Zuko commented as he sipped water from a leaf Katara handed to him only moments before. Amused, he watched her rip the last few drops from the plants and passionately stomp them into the dirt.

"We don't have to deal with this," she motioned towards all the vegetation around her, "...in the South Pole. It's nice, and cold, and barren. When the seasons change we do get some greenery, but nothing this extreme."

Zuko raised an eyebrow, "You like it cold and barren?"

Katara thought about it for a moment, taking slow sips of water, her eyes drifting from her leaf to Zuko's scar. "I'm not sure what I like anymore."

They continued to push through the forest, despite the almost unbearable humidity and heat. Their clothes stuck to them and bugs crawled and bit at their skin. Though miserable, they didn't stop again until the sun had long set, and the two could hardly keep their feet in front of them. Katara was the first to collapse, breathing heavily and attempting to hold herself up. Zuko fell to his knees beside her, eyes closing from exhaustion.

"I can't go any farther Zuko," Katara breathed, accepting defeat and letting her weight drop into the dirt. Zuko hung his head and used his good arm to prop himself up, keeping himself from collapsing into the ground. He was instantly surprised by the feel of the dirt, noticing a dry, sandy texture that it hadn't had before.

"Katara..." Zuko brought the dirt to his face and examined it in the moonlight.

Moonlight?

The firebender looked up and noticed the heavy canopy that had once shielded them was now almost completely gone. The forest was thinning, and that could mean only one thing...

"Katara, get up," Zuko shook the waterbender awake, though she was hardly responsive.

"Katara, come on. We're almost there..." Instead of shaking her again, Zuko reached his good arm around her waist and pulled her to her feet. Katara was silent as he pulled her through the last remaining stretch of forest, struggling with her weight and the pain in his arm. They walked slowly for an hour until the trees gave way to a slope which revealed the Western Air Temple's east beach.

The Prince was ready to jump for joy when something pierced his neck.

_Shit._

Zuko reached for the dart that had pierced his skin but knew its poisons had already begun to do its dirty work. His vision blurred but the Prince did his best to keep his grip around Katara. They both could hear people rushing towards them, but everything felt backward and upside down. The only thing Zuko was blatantly aware of was Katara's arm that had fearfully creeped around his own waist before they both passed into darkness.

* * *

"Hey hey! Look! He's wakin' up!"

Zuko could hear a lot of movement around him, and once he opened his eyes it took a moment for them to adjust to the harsh sunlight. A figure suddenly draped over him, shadowing his face. "Sorry 'bout that kid. The island was crawling with soldiers so we had to take precaution."

Zuko's eyes adjusted to a friendly, sea-worn face. He took this opportunity to push himself up and survey his surroundings. He was on the deck of a fairly large wooden fishing vessel, manned by a group of ten men. Wooden crates had been pushed together to create a makeshift bed, and he couldn't help but sigh in relief when he saw the Earth Kingdom's symbol branded into the wood. The sails were full of wind, and they were making good time as the ship skimmed across the water, passing the rolling hills of what he assumed to be the Earth Kingdom to his left. He noticed too that his arm had been properly wrapped and slinged, but that brought his train of thought to Katara.

"Where is she?" He panicked, jumping to his feet, only to be gently pushed back down by the old fisherman, "Where's-"

"-Woah there, take it easy. You mean your girlfriend? She's below deck, hit her head on a rock when you two fell. But don't worry, we have our resident healer working wonders and by the time we return to the village, you both should be back on your feet."

Zuko was ready to question where they were going, but the old fisherman sat next to him with a very grim expression on his face.

"Listen boy," the man started, leaning in close to the firebender. "It's pretty apparent you both are Fire Nation citizens," he gestured towards his clothing, "Now, I don't want to cause any trouble, but I need to ask, for the safety of my family and my people. What were you two doing at the Western Air Temple Island?"

Zuko flipped the question over in his mind, but decided to take a different route, to give himself more time to think of a backstory. "I think the better question is, who are you? And what were _you _doing there?"

The man laughed heartily and shook his finger in Zuko's face. "I like you kid, I like you!" After a deep breath, he continued, "Well, to your first question, the name is Yung Zei Dow, but you can just call me 'Captain'. And to your second question, isn't it obvious? We were fishing!" The fisherman's bones cracked as he rose to his feet and called out to another man. "Ty! Ty! Come here boy!"

A young man who had been securing barrels to the floor came jogging over to them, a look of suspicion on his face. He eyed the captain, but when he saw that he was all smiles, he relaxed a bit.

"This is my son Ty," The Captain introduced, attempting to straighten his back to stand at the height of his son. If the Captain hadn't been bent over from years of work, they would have been the same height. Ty appeared to be around Zuko's age, with brown hair that had been bleached by years in the sun, and sported a pair of vivid green eyes that he and the Captain, as well as the majority of the crew, seemed to share. He stood tall and held out his hand in good faith.

"Z...Zeito," Zuko shook his hand politely, unsure as to why the introduction was necessary.

"You see Zeito, we were out in the Air Temple's waters because our lands have been overfished by the Fire Nation. My son is getting married tomorrow, and we needed a bountiful catch to feed the village. It's going to be the biggest wedding the Earth Kingdom has ever seen!" The Captain slapped his son on the back who gave a lopsided smile in return.

The grim expression returned to The Captain's face as he leaned uncomfortably close to Zuko. "And this is why I would like to know what you were doing on that island. We just don't want there to be any trouble, you see."

"Well what happened was-" Zuko began to roll out a story when shouting could be heard from below decks.

"Keep your filthy hands off me!" He heard what he assumed to be Katara's voice, and a moment later the hatch leading below decks blew off its hinges, sending a man flying out with it.

"Ahh," Zuko could hear the Captain say, spirits as high as ever, "Your girlfriend must be awake!"

"She's not my-" Zuko began to correct him, but Katara shot out of the hole in the deck and landed a swift kick to the man who apparently put his 'filthy hands' on her, sending him overboard. Zuko noted the bandage wrapped around her head and how she was only partially dressed. Her arms were raised for a fight, but when she saw the shocked expressions from the other sailors, all of whom dressed in Earth Kingdom green, Zuko standing there appearing just as equally shocked, and the old fisherman laughing heartily, she began to second-guess herself.

"It's ok! They aren't Fire Nation!" Zuko called quickly and raced over to her. Katara's expression of panic softened and she finally dropped her arms. "I couldn't see anything down there," Katara explained, suddenly embarrassed. "That guy was prodding my arm and I didn't know where you were and I freaked out!" She took a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair, only to have it get tangled in the bandage around her forehead. Putting two and two together, the waterbender realized she had just kicked their healer overboard.

"It's ok," Zuko reassured her, and quickly filled her in on his new name before the Captain and his son made it across the desk. They made quick introductions, in which Katara picked the name 'Sapphire' to keep her identity safe.

"So Sapphire, Zeito, do you two now care to share what you were doing on that island?"

Zuko was ready to begin again when Katara quickly interrupted him.

"-We're runaways." She forced out, a look of overly-animated sadness washing over her. "Zeito and I, we both came from middle-class families, but our marriages had been arranged at birth...to other people." Katara sighed heavily and Zuko instantly noticed the angle she was playing. "They were business transactions," he added, "But I didn't want that, _we_ didn't want that. We didn't want to marry someone we didn't love."

The rest of the crew had gathered around them to listen, so Zuko gently took Katara's hand and held it in his own, playing up the story. Katara paused for a moment, her eyes drifting from their hands to Zuko's face. She knew it was only an act, but she was instantly reminded of the Crystal Catacombs, where she had almost wasted the water from the Spirit Oasis on his scar. She thought about that day a lot, something that she wasn't proud to admit, but Zuko's betrayel that day pulled at her gut and it was a feeling she could never shake. Now, Katara stood next to him, as allies, and still couldn't swing that initial fear of betrayel. _'I need to trust him,' _she thought, staring into the firebender's bright eyes. _'He's changed, he's a different person. He's here to help us, to help me.' _She stared at his scar and a genuine wave of realization and sadness came over her. He had been betrayed too, and that's all he has ever known his entire life. For him to be here, risking everything for the sake of the Avatar, for _her_, she needed to give him some credit for that, at least.

With a deep breath, Katara gave Zuko's hand a small squeeze, then held it firmly, a smile appearing on her lips. In full-swing, she began to explain how Zeito and Sapphire would secretly meet in the Fire Nation gardens under every quarter moon, and confessed their love to each other at the base of a dormant volcano. Zuko stopped listening, distracted by the waterbender's hand that he was now holding. He could feel the strength in them, yet her skin was smooth against his calloused hands. The firebender couldn't help but compare Katara's hands to Mai's, which to him always felt spidery and thin. Every time he held Mai's hand they were cold, lifeless, and would only limply respond to his grip.

"...Zeito?" Katara asked, snapping him back to reality.

"Huh?" The entire crew was looking at him, some with tears brimming in their eyes and others clutching at the invisible hearts on their chests. Zuko wasn't sure what Katara said, but it sure as hell was working.

"I was just telling them that we were heading towards the Earth Kingdom, trying to escape our families?"

"Right! Sorry, it's still a lot to take in. We've been on the move for days without any supplies, but we'll make it, we always do."

Katara smiled, her mind jumping at Zuko's genius. It was only a second later where the entire crew was offering supplies and places to stay, as well as a very animated invitation to Ty's wedding from the Captain.

"Please you must come! We would be honored to have two such brave souls amongst us." The Captain squeezed between the two, causing them to break contact, and dropped his heavy arms on the pairs' shoulders. "And you never know, maybe we can make this a double-wedding?"

Katara almost choked on her own saliva and Zuko held up his arms in protest. "No! No, that won't be necessary. We would like to settle somewhere first before we make anything permanent."

"Suit yourself," The Captain commented, and realized that his entire crew was standing about listening, instead of manning the vessel. "What are you frog-rats standin' around for? We have a wedding to get to and I sure as hell ain't gunna be late!"

The crew quickly dissipated and went back to work, leaving Katara and Zuko alone for the first time since they were brought there. "That was absolute genius," Zuko commented casually, keeping his tone level as to not be overheard by any of the fisherman.

"Look who's talking," Katara replied back, her tone matching his, "You're the one who got them to practically give up the deeds to their home, not to mention a year's worth of supplies."

"No, it was your story that hooked them, about the moon, and the volcano. Hell, _I _almost believed you."

Katara smiled and whipped some of her hair out of her face. "You know, we make a good team."

Something inside Zuko warmed, which didn't seem possible with the sun currently beating down on them. He gave a lopsided smile and ran his hand nervously through his hair. "So," he started, trying to think of something to say, "...are we actually going to this wedding?"

Katara looked back at the Captain who was explaining something to his son, and she instantly thought of Sokka and her father. She missed them terribly, and maybe going to the wedding, though selfish reasoning, would be a good thing for her.

"Yes, I think we should most definitely go. Plus we'll earn more points with the locals if we attend, and they will be more willing to help us."

Zuko raised an eyebrow at her second comment, impressed. "Look at you, Katara the Strategist."

Her smile faded, "That was usually Sokka's job. I'm just really worried about them, about everyone. What if they didn't make it?"

Zuko shook is head and leaned against the wooden railing. "If there is one thing I do know, Toph and Sokka are survivors. They will make it out of there, they always do. Chances are Aang already picked them up, and they think _we're_ the ones who are dead."

This seemed to convince Katara, for the time being.

As the sun pulled overhead and began to set, the Captain insisted that they move belowdecks to rest as much as possible before they made it to port. Both took the invitation without question and were assigned two hammocks in the sleeping quarters. Sleepily, Zuko helped Katara into hers, surprisingly without complaint, which happened to be directly above his own. He slipped into his hammock a moment later and though comfortable, couldn't get to sleep right away. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, something he did quite frequently, but was surprised to see Katara's still figure outlined in the hammock's canvas-like fabric instead.

Zuko's eyes drifted across her form, starting where her hair was spilling over her hammock to her feet, one of which hung slightly off the edge of the canvas. He followed the outline of her curves, back up to her shoulder blades, and smacked himself in the face before his thoughts could roam any further. Forcing his eyes shut, Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and grumpily rolled over. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see Katara's figure dancing behind his eyelids.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Avatar (but I wish I did! Cha-ching!)

(So I'm going back through this fic and fixing a few things. I noticed a lot of line breaks didn't make it into previous chapters, and some terrible grammar needs to be fixed so you may see little adjustments here and there. This chapter is also a wee bit short because there will be a doozy coming up next, so brace yourselves! [Zutara action! Wooooo!] Will also have review comments at the end of the chapter. Cheers!)

* * *

Chapter 9

The fishing boat made it to the village when the moon was at its highest point, good time despite the crew's backtracking to retrieve the healer that Katara had knocked overboard. When they arrived, both Zuko and Katara were shaken awake and dragged to the docks in the bright moonlight.

Zuko was first struck in awe by the size of their harbor, featuring numerous amounts of wooden docks that zigzagged in every direction. But it was the stone piers that jetted out into the warf that most impressed him, each one presenting ten massive ships cladded in thick metal sheets, obviously equipped for war. Zuko had seen his fair share of naval battles, but he had yet to see a ship from the Earth Kingdom specifically built and designed for battle. Most were converted shipping and fishing vessels, few of which stood a chance against the massive fleet of the Fire Nation. But these were a different breed, and at a glance to his partner, the firebender could tell Katara was just as surprised as he was.

Katara and Zuko made themselves useful and helped the crew unload the supplies, the small fishing vessel now shadowed by one of the many towering war ships. Katara knew she should feel safer knowing that she was finally in the Earth Kingdom, but they reminded her too much of the Fire Nation's warships, and though the moonlight revealed little, there was something about them...

"-Hey, are you ok?"

Zuko was looking at Katara very intently, who had been standing, staring unblinkingly at the massive ship before her.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." The waterbender shook it off and reached for another crate, only to find that all of them had already been taken ashore.

Zuko shouldered the last bag of fish with his good arm. "You sure? It looked like you were trying to bore a hole through that ship with your eyes."

Katara glanced back up at it again then shrugged it off. "Hey! You aren't supposed to be carrying anything with your bad arm, you won't heal if you don't let your body rest."

The firebender noted the change of subject but decided not to ensue. Instead, he rolled his eyes and began to do one-armed lifts with the bag. "But I'm not using my bad arm, see?" He taunted, enjoying the annoyance that was apparent on Katara's face. Zuko continued to use the bag as a weight, his smile growing larger with Katara's continued frustration, until she landed a swift punch to his hurt shoulder.

Zuko grunted in pain, his eyes watering as his bag slipped from his shoulder and split on the dock, fish spilling out and falling into the harbor.

"Hey Zeito! You should know better than to be carrying heavy loads with a bad arm!" The Captain called from the shore.

Katara looked at him with a smug smile. "See? Even the Captain agrees with me."

Zuko straightened himself and attempted to smile, though his arm was _killing_ him. "Geeze Katara, do you treat all of your friends this way?"

"Only the ones I love," she replied with a smile, which slipped as quickly as it came. A wave of uncertainty overcame her, and she wasn't sure how to backtrack. "Uhm, I mean..."

"Hey! You two kids comin' or what?"

Both Zuko and Katara's attention turned to the Captain who was waving them ashore. Katara thanked the gods for the distraction and quickly made her way towards him, Zuko following close behind. Once ashore, the Captain and Ty led them through the village, all three men striking up an animated conversation about the fair weather and the excitement that was to be had the next day. Katara remained quiet as they reached the Captain's small home and through tea which was brought to them by a Mrs. Yung Zei Dow (_Please! Just call me Missy!_). When Ty and the Captain retired for the night, Missy redressed Zuko's arm and laid out furs by the fire for them to sleep in.

"Now no funny business you two," Missy teased, then wished them goodnight and disappeared behind a thick wooden door.

Despite the hours of sleep Zuko and Katara had throughout the day, both of them were exhausted, though strangely restless. Zuko kept squirming under his furs, to Katara's annoyance, and was constantly repositioning himself.

"Can you stay still for five minutes? I can't sleep with you rolling over every two seconds," Katara hissed, keeping her voice low.

"Sorry," Zuko muttered, adjusting himself one last time and finally sinking into his furs. Katara sighed and closed her eyes, ready to let sleep take her, when Zuko shifted uncomfortably again.

"What is your problem?" Katara bolted upright and stared at the firebender, her face edged with exhaustion. Zuko shifted slightly away from her, confused by her reaction. "I'm sorry! My arm just hurts and i've got a lot going through my mind." He wasn't trying to complain, but he knew honesty was the best way to speak to her. By watching Aang and the others interact with Katara, he knew that saying 'it's nothing' or 'don't worry about it' wasn't the best strategy, since Katara always got to the bottom of everything.

The waterbender relaxed and crossed her legs, her furs covering her up to her waist. The firelight was low but she could still see Zuko's face, and 'stressed' wasn't even close to describing his expression.

"I'm sorry, I guess we're both a little on edge." Katara shrugged her shoulders apologetically and leaned forward. "What's going on Zuko?"

The Prince sat up and mimicked her position, running his good arm through his hair. Katara had a look of concern on her face, but this time it wasn't about Aang, Sokka, Hakoda or anyone else, she was genuinely concerned about _him. _For Zuko, this was unsettling, yet he liked the fact that she cared...more than he was willing to admit.

"I'm worried that Azula will follow us here," he whispered, glancing at the doors that led to The Captain's room. His eyes focused back on Katara, and he found himself once again staring at her, entranced by her features in the firelight. Something inside him warmed at the thought of how beautiful she looked in the light of his own element, but the thought also freaked him out so he forced himself to stare into the fire as he continued to speak. "I'm trying to be optimistic but I know how she is. If she didn't find Toph or Sokka, then she is out there right now looking for us. She is under orders and will not rest until she finds us. Aang is second on her plate with me as your ally and I was stupid to help you guys, I put all of you at a higher risk! Hell, she could have found us already and is just waiting to strike at the right time-"

"-Zuko stop! Calm down..." Katara quickly reached for his hand and held it in a strong grip, nervously glancing at the fire that had turned from a warm glow to raging flames. Startled by her sudden touch, Zuko's thought process broke and the fire quickly died down, his eyes darting from the flames to Katara's face.

"Listen, I know you feel guilty for everything that has happened but you need to stop." She scooted closer to him and took both of his hands in hers, holding them tightly. "You are my ally, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You're all I have right now and i'll be damned if you decide to get up and leave because you feel you put us...you put _me_, at a 'higher risk'. In case you didn't notice, I normally travel with the Avatar on a giant flying bison, I'm pretty sure the risk doesn't get much higher than that."

Katara's attempt to make Zuko smile failed, causing her to sigh heavily.

"You can't keep beating yourself up over this. I know it's hard, but you have to let it go."

Zuko glanced up at her cerulean blue eyes, "How do you know how hard it is?"

Katara let go of Zuko's hands, jolted by a sudden memory. She abruptly realized where she was; sitting in a room and holding hands with a prince who was once her enemy.

"When I was younger, I blamed myself for my mother's death," Katara started, running a hand nervously through her hair and letting her gaze drift to the fire. "She died protecting me, making sure that the Fire Nation didn't find me, and making sure they never found out I was a bender. It was ultimately the Fire Nation's fault, but when I thought of them, when I got angry, I saw your face."

Zuko rubbed his scar frustratingly, "Those were my people who killed your mother. Fire Lord Sozin and his descendents, my family, ordered them to kill, and their blood runs through me."

"But I don't see you as the face of the enemy anymore Zuko. You've had little control over your life, and in the end, you made the right decision. The point I'm trying to make is that we have all done things that are wrong, we have all made bad choices, and we have all hurt people. But it's how we rise up from our mistakes that makes us who we are. There is so much good in you Zuko, if only you could see it."

Zuko sat there silently, digesting her words. "You...really think there is good in me?"

Katara smiled. "Well, I think Avatar Roku's bloodline has something to do with it, but yeah, I do."

Taken aback, Zuko leaned forward curiously, "How did you know that?"

The waterbender crossed her arms over her chest and smiled even wider. "Give us a little credit. We've been traveling for three years and I would hope we would pick up _some_ information about our greatest enemy during that time."

The prince gave a lopsided grin and leaned back on his good arm. "Well, that really means a lot to me, especially coming from you." He was quick to clarify, "...the 'good in me' part, not the 'greatest enemy' bit."

Katara watched the prince silently for a moment, not quite understanding the feelings that had been creeping up on her during the past few days. She thought she had her emotions in check, and that Aang had always been that one person who she truly felt something for. He _had_ always been there for her, and she knew that he liked her too, but recently the idea of being in a relationship with him seemed...off. It was as if they were _destined_ to be together, and that she had absolutely no control in the matter. This sudden realization bothered her, and she understood that the Avatar had a destiny, but did that include her as well? Or maybe the possibility of having a small crush on the firebender in front of her was her own personal way of rebelling against fate. It was exciting, it was mysterious, but it was also very dangerous.

_But Aang and I are destined to be together._

"Uh, Katara?"

Katara's mind snapped back to the present, and she found Zuko staring at her with a look of concern.

"...did I say something wrong?"

The waterbender's face flushed a bright crimson as she let out a nervous laugh, "No! No, you said everything right actually, I was just thinking."

Zuko looked at her curiously. "About what?"

"Oh, nothing." She lied.

"You know for someone who is very...outward with their emotions and opinions, I find you very hard to read sometimes."

Katara was surprised by this statement. She had never considered herself as someone hard to read, but she knew everything was different when she was around Zuko. Her guard was always up, as if she was unconsciously waiting for him to betray her again, just like he did in the Crystal Catacombs. And especially now that she _may_ have feelings for him, it scared her. She knew it wasn't fair to him, and she silently promised herself that that would be something she would work on. _Trust._

The waterbender was ready to reply when Zuko interrupted her.

"...but it's OK. I don't expect you to be an open book around me, and I really don't deserve it, but...I want you to know that you can ask me anything. I have nothing to hide."

Katara smiled warmly. "And I really appreciate that."

The couple sat there in silence for a few moments, both of them lost in thought. The fire began to die down, so Zuko blew a bit of life into it and the pair finally settled down to sleep. Zuko was the first to sink under his furs, and it only took a few moments before his breathing evened out and the prince was fast asleep.

Katara watched Zuko until her eyes grew heavy. She slipped under her pelts and sleep was quick to overtake her. As the firelight died down, she dreamt a familiar dream of a mysterious man dressed in black, with a blue mask covering his face.

* * *

Review Commentary

_anon 5/6/12 . chapter 5_

_But the Temple was deserted when they arrived. It's been deserted ever since all the monks and Airbenders were murdered by the Fire Nation armies on the day of the comets arrival._

_The stables were empty as all the Bison and lemurs were killed by Sozin, they should be used to the silence by now. After all, a dozen people, including just one Airbender, a lemur and a sky bison aren't enough to fill a whole Temple._

**You are perfectly correct, BUT, when I refered to 'temple' I didn't mean the whole damn thing, because it is pretty big and the group was all hanging out together in a certain area, not spread out through the whole shabang. That is bad writing on my part and I just assumed everyone knew what I was talking about. Though, the temple would feel pretty darn empty when your group is cut by 80% regardless of how much space you were taking up.**

_Guido 5/8/12 . chapter 8_

_Yey! Glad you're back! I love this story! Keep writing!_

**Yes ma'am! And Thanks!**

_raidersfan777 5/6/12 . chapter 8_

_This story is amasing i love it update soon. :)_

**Ok, i'll update it now for you :p**

_BeWhoYouAre99 5/18/12 . chapter 1_

_I like this._

**Funny, so do I!**


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